At the age of 19, Steven takes his first steps with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, then still known as the Rabobank Continental Team. Steven spends three seasons with the development team, earning several impressive results along the way. His biggest victory as an U23 rider comes in 2009 in Landgraaf, where he becomes Dutch national champion.

In 2010, Steven makes the step from the development team to the WorldTour squad. In his first season as a professional, he immediately lines up for his first grand tour: the Giro d’Italia. Steven is anything but anonymous in his Giro debut. He goes on the attack several times and shows his strength in the mountains. He caps a strong debut with 17th place in the overall standings.

In his second season as a professional, Steven returns to the Giro d’Italia, where he proves he can compete with the best climbers. After three weeks of racing, he finishes in eighth place. Following his strong Giro, Steven carries his form into the Tour de Suisse. On stage six, he claims his first professional victory in Triesenberg after a demanding stage.

In 2012, Steven makes his Tour de France debut. He immediately finishes third in the young rider classification.

In his first season riding for Blanco Pro Cycling, and later Belkin Pro Cycling, Steven deals with his share of setbacks. Injuries make for a difficult season. He ends he year on a high note, helping teammate Robert Gesink to victory at the GP Québec.

At the 2014 Tour de France, Steven finishes 15th overall. A few weeks later, he carries his strong form into the Arctic Race of Norway, where he secures the overall victory after a strong week of racing.

Racing in the black and yellow colors of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, Steven once again demonstrates his qualities as a stage-race specialist. He finishes in the top 10 on seven stages and wears the mountains classification jersey for several days at the Giro d’Italia. For the second time in his career, he finishes inside the top 10 overall, this time taking seventh place.

The Giro d’Italia is a major goal for Steven. On stage 14, he claims the pink jersey after dropping, among others, race favorite Vincenzo Nibali on the Passo Valparola. Steven starts the penultimate mountain stage with a three-minute lead. Overall victory is within reach, but a crash changes everything. He ultimately finishes fourth after three brilliant weeks of racing in Italy.

In 2017, Steven is a constant presence in the top ten of stage races. He sets his sights on a strong result at the Vuelta a España. He ultimately finishes ninth overall. Earlier that season, he had finished third at the Tour de Suisse and seventh at the Volta a Catalunya.

Steven has a smooth start to the 2018 season and heads to the Tour de France in excellent form. During the final week, he and teammate Primož Roglič remain in contention for a place on the podium. In the end, the two LottoNL-Jumbo riders finish just outside the top three. Steven takes fifth place in Paris. His season continues into September, and he remains relentless. After a strong final week, he finishes fourth overall at the Vuelta a España.

In 2019, Steven establishes himself as one of the best stage-race riders in the peloton. He makes a flying start to the Tour de France, helping his team win the opening team time trial in Brussels. Over the following weeks, he proves to be a close rival for Team Ineos duo Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas. After a thrilling battle, Steven finishes third overall in the Tour. It is the first of many grand tour podium finishes for the team

After a disappointing 2020 season, Steven focuses fully on the Tour de France in 2021. After being forced to abandon the Tour, he shifts his focus to the Vuelta a España. There, he plays an important role in helping teammate Primož Roglič secure his third consecutive overall victory.

Team Jumbo-Visma enters the Tour de France with Jonas Vingegaard aiming for the team's first-ever overall victory in the race. Steven hopes to use his experience to play a crucial supporting role for his Danish leader. A crash on stage 15 forces him to abandon the race early and brings his season to an abrupt end. Steven, however, is in Paris to celebrate Vingegaard's overall victory with the team.

2023 was a season Steven would rather forget. A crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné left him with a fractured pelvis and collarbone. As a result, he missed a large part of the remaining season, including the Tour de France. In 2024, the French stage race once again proves an unfortunate place for Steven. After another crash, he shifts his focus to the Vuelta a España. He makes his presence felt on several occasions and ultimately finishes 19th overall.

In 2025, at the age of 37, Steven lines up for the final Giro d’Italia of his career, the race where it all began for him. At the 108th edition of the Giro, he plays an important role in teammate Simon Yates' iconic overall victory, with Yates taking control of the race on the penultimate day.

The 2026 season marks the final year of Steven's professional career. It is his 17th season at the highest level of the sport. We say goodbye to a loyal rider who worked his way from our development team to the very top of the sport. A rider who inspired a nation to dream of victory in a grand tour after a long drought. Someone who always gave his very best. A true culture bearer of Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Dutch cycling. An inspiration to many.