Team dsm-firmenich PostNL

A graduate from the SEG Academy in 2017, Fabio Jakobsen is a Dutch pro cyclist on Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. He previously raced for Soudal Quick-Step.

Jakobsen joined the Belgian team at the start of the 2018 season and immediately made an impression with victory in the sprinter-friendly semi-Classic, Scheldeprijs. He defended his title in 2019 and made a winning start to his Grand Tour debut with two stage wins in the Vuelta a España. 

He suffered a life threatening crash in a sprint finish at the Tour de Pologne in 2020 and after a lengthy absence and recovery period he returned to competition in April of 2021. Three more Vuelta stage wins and the points jersey followed.

Jakobsen enjoyed a highly successful season on the road in 2022 with over a dozen wins, which included a stage at the Tour de France, the European Championships road race and Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne.

In 2023 Jakobsen won seven races but missed out on a stage win at the Tour de France. He ended the year by signing a three-year contract with dsm-firmenich PostNL.

Fabio Jakobsen

Tech

Pro Bikes

Pro bike: Fabio Jakobsen’s Scott Foil RC

 on a deal that will run until the end of the 2026 season. This move brought with it a change in equipment for the Dutch sprinter after spending the previous six seasons with 

As with any move of this nature, the biggest change on the equipment front comes in the shape of the bike. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL is sponsored by 

 with both the Foil RC and the lightweight Addict RC at their disposal. As a thoroughbred sprinter, it makes sense that the aero-optimised Foil RC is the bike of choice for Jakobsen. We took a look at his set-up ahead of the Classic Brugge-De Panne.

Leading by example: Fabio Jakobsen pleased to come full circle

When the latest generation Foil RC was released at the 2022 Tour de France, Scott made some impressive claims regarding the new bike's performance in comparison to the model it replaced. The headline figures the brand released included the new Foil RC being 21% faster, 9% lighter and 10% more comfortable than its predecessor.

The silhouette of the Foil has evolved with this latest model, the rear triangle in particular looking to pull inspiration from the Plasma TT/triathlon bike. Although cut-away seat tubes have been a hallmark of aero bikes for many a year, the Foil takes it one step further with the entire lower section of the seat tube jutting forwards allowing the rear wheel to sit further forward than it could on a more traditional design.

As the team's sprinter for Brugge-De Panne, Jakobsen’s intentions are obvious when looking at his Dura-Ace chainset which has 56/44 tooth chainrings fitted. It wasn’t long ago that chainrings this size were reserved for use solely in time trials but with the advent of wide ratio cassettes, riders are able to increase their chainring size whilst retaining an appropriate climbing gear.

As the course for Brugge-De Panne features very little in the way of climbing, the 44-tooth inner ring is present more as a token addition rather than as a necessity. The flat profile of the race also lends itself nicely to the closer ratio 11-30 cassette that is fitted.

Why bigger is better when it comes to time trial chainrings

The professional peloton has widely adopted the trend of higher volume tyres with most teams settling on 28mm as the go-to width for road racing. Jakobsen and the dsm-firmenich team are sporting a more modest 26mm version of Vittoria’s Corsa Pro tubeless tyre. Only a few years ago this would have been considered above average with the peloton stabilising around 25mm for a number of seasons.

What tyre width do pro cyclists use on the cobbles?

Since the advent of tubeless tyres and hookless rims, teams have mostly made the switch to 28mm rubber to make the most of the benefits that wider tyres can present. Although certainly not a disadvantage, the 26mm tyres used by Jakobsen are now some of the narrowest in the WorldTour.

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Fabio Jakobsen

Race Program

Fabio Jakobsen's Bikes

Pro bike: Fabio Jakobsen’s Scott Foil RC

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