A “WEEKEND OFF SEASON” WITH JONAS RICKAERT AND ARJEN LIVYNS IN THE KALENBERG COURT
But what is on the program for those first weeks of November? We have read in various press reports that Remco Evenepoel likes to be a VIP at major sporting events. You can read about how Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin – Deceunicnk) and Arjen Livyns (Lotto-Dstny) enjoyed a cozy November weekend among friends here at Cyclelive Magazine.
First, let’s get to know these two pros.
Jonas Rickaert
Jonas Rickaert has often been in the spotlight for the general public while serving his leaders at Alpecin-Deceuninck. Jonas was born on February 7, 1994, and at 1.88 meters tall and 85 kg, he is the prototype of a perfect leadout. Behind his back you are really out of the wind and in a perfect slipstream to accelerate, just ask Jasper Philipsen. Jonas is also active as a track cyclist, but is best known as the perfect locomotive for Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. He won the national race Zwevezele Koers on September 27, 2024. In 2020, he won his only UCI-1Pro victory to date with Dwars door het Hageland.
Arjen Livyns
Arjen Livyns, born on September 1, 1994, is a true contemporary and close friend of Jonas Rickaert. At 1.70 meters tall and 58 kg, he is a very different type of cyclist than the powerhouse that is Rickaert. Arjen ended the year 2024 in 503rd place in the UCI ranking. He has been riding with Lotto-Dstny since 2023 and before that he was a professional cyclist with Bingoal Pauwels Sauzen, Roompot and Verandas Willems. In 2024, Arjen finished seventh in the third stage of the Tour of Spain, a stage won by Wout van Aert.
A weekend among friends in Borgloon in Haspengouw
A few months ago, the Hof van Kalenberg received a request for a weekend stay in November under the name of the Velo Vainqueur bicycle shop. The weekend of November 22-24 was still available and Lisl and Ibe, the owners of the bicycle shop in Waregem, did not hesitate to make a reservation. So at the end of November they traveled to Borgloon with their daughter and a few friends to spend the night at Hof van Kalenberg. Among those friends were Jonas Rickaert and Arjen Livyns, who were quite keen on the idea of combining a weekend of socializing with some training.
The first guests arrived at Hof van Kalenberg on Friday afternoon and by 19.00h the group of friends was complete. The bicycles were safely stored and prepared for training the next day through the beautiful Haspengouw.
That Friday evening, cooking was not on the program. A delicious pizza night was organized… the pizzas from Borgloon were enjoyed as if they were a local delicacy. So you see that professional cyclists are really just ordinary people, just like you and me. A delicious pizza is enjoyed by everyone!
After the children were in bed, the sauna and jacuzzi were enjoyed before lights out at the Hof van Kalenberg and a good night’s sleep.
Saturday ride with Jasper Philipsen
Saturday morning’s breakfast included bread, rolls and pastries from the local bakery. Afterwards, the men left for training in the direction of Hasselt, where they had agreed to do some easy kilometers with Jasper Philipsen. After a good three hours of training, the cyclists returned home to the Hof van Kalenberg. Meanwhile, the ladies had had a pleasant morning with the children. It is nice to chill out in the living room and on the lawn with a view of the pond and the orchard with cows. The children loved the calf that kept coming back to the paddock to have a curious look.
Jonas and Arjen had only just become aware of the beauty of the Haspengouw region after their training. “How beautiful it must be here in the spring among all those fruit trees in full blossom,” Jonas wondered. In the afternoon it was time to relax and the ladies’ top priority was shopping in nearby Hasselt, while the gentlemen and children opted for a walk through the Haspengouw countryside.
Sunday morning was training time again. This time the men stayed in the area between Borgloon, Heers and Tongeren. The Hesbaye circuit, where the last European Championship was held, is located just 700 meters from the vacation home. Jonas recognized the course perfectly and let his friends enjoy the challenge of this tough and beautiful circuit. They had already clocked up a lot of kilometers, but the pace was now much slower than during the European Championships. The message at this time of year is to cycle slowly – very slowly even. The basics are the foundation of everything, so the foundation must be laid as strongly as possible. It is also a unique opportunity to enjoy all the beauty you encounter along the way. That enjoyment of nature will be a lot less the case in about six weeks, because that is when block and interval training will quietly make its entrance into the training schedule.
When we left on Sunday evening, the booking for the summer period had already been re-scheduled and, depending on their program, we will see Jonas and Arjen once again charging their batteries on the roads of Haspengouw for the rest of the 2025 season.
Jonas Rickaert
Top results:
1st Dwars door het Hageland (’20)
1st Grand Prix Marcel Kint (’17)
3rd Heistse Pijl (’21)
4th Dwars door het Hageland (’21)
6th Classic Brugge-De Panne (’23)
3rd GC Tour de Gironde Cycliste International (’14)
6th Tour de l’Eurométropole (’18)
5th Gooikse Pijl (’18)
4th stage BinckBank Tour (’18)
8th Scheldeprijs (’18)
10th AG Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne ME (’20)
10th GC Tour of Denmark (’18)
Arjen Livyns
Top results:
2nd Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers Souvenir Bruno C (’20)
2nd Grand Prix Criquielion (’17)6th Brussels Cycling Classic (’22)
5th Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise (’21)
3rd Antwerpse Havenpijl (’17)
6th Trofeo Matteotti (’20)
7th Grand Prix de Wallonie (’19)
7th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens – Around Leuven (’16)
7th Egmont Cycling Race (’23)
7th Stage Vuelta a España (’24)
4th Stage Sibiu Cycling Tour (’24)
8th Muscat Classic (’24)
This story was made possible thanks to:
Velo Vainqueur
Kortrijkseweg 314, 8791 Beveren – Leie (Waregem)
info@velovainqueur.be
www.velovainqueur.be
056 90 79 84
Staying at Hof van Kalenberg
Hof van Kalenberg is located in the rural village of Voort.
This beautiful 5-star vacation home can accommodate 12 people:
- Two bathrooms with shower and bath
- Four spacious bedrooms without carpet
- A large living room with a view of the garden
- Open kitchen
- A separate relaxation room
- The garden offers privacy and the terrace faces south
- Jacuzzi and sauna
- A charcoal barbecue and sun loungers complete the Haspengouw vacation feeling
- A secure bicycle shed – also for electric bicycles – with a work stand and the possibility to clean the bicycle + tools for minor repairs
- Washing machine and dryer
- Information about cycling routes is available in the house or you can compile your own using fietsnet.be or the cycling junction route planner
- Hof van Kalenberg is a member of Limburg cycling accommodation!
