If we had met Lennart Jasch just three years ago, cycling would not have been in his plans. An athlete for the German national speed skating team, his dream was to reach the top of the world, but fate and then the desire to challenge himself led him to become one of the breakout riders of the peloton. He started 2026 in the development team of Tudor, then came the victory at the Tour of the Alps, a contract through 2028 with the main team and a success about ten days ago at the Giro d'Abruzzo. Lennart is living an authentic dream and absolutely does not want to stop.

Cycling has always been part of the life of the twenty-five-year-old German, but never at a competitive level. Like all speed skaters, he used the bike to support his training on skates, but at a certain point it became the only way to continue being an athlete. "It all happened unexpectedly and very quickly. I had an injury and started to feel that something wasn't right, I was struggling to skate and the tests revealed an imbalance between the right and left sides of my body. We tried to fix the situation somehow, but we couldn't, however we realized that on the bike I had no problems at all. I was only pedaling to train, but I understood it could become something else." This is how Lennart's adventure in cycling began. Soon the desire to train transformed into the desire to test himself, to find a new path. In April 2024 he took part in his first race, a race not far from home, but in some ways also a bit traumatic. "From the start I was very nervous because there were more than 150 people around me and everyone wanted to be at the front. It was my first time in a group and I didn't really know how to position myself. After a few kilometers I realized I had to follow my instinct, I got into the breakaway of the day and by working together we managed to reach the finish. I crossed the line in second place and for me it was incredible, that result made me understand that I had to continue down this path."

In the following period of Lennart's young cycling career, everything happened very quickly. In 2025 with the colors of the Red Bull Bora Rookies team he won a stage and the general classification of the Giro del Friuli, but the big leap came this year with the Tudor team. Initially in the development squad, the German rider put his signature on the fourth stage of the Tour of the Alps and from that moment he never stopped. "Last year was a great test for me and it helped me get my bearings, understand how I needed to move, I started 2026 with great desire to perform, but I never would have imagined being able to win. At the Tour of the Alps the plan was to support Storer, I followed the team's plans and went into the breakaway; once I was up front I looked around and realized how strong the riders were with me, I had to hold on, if the team car had asked me to wait for my teammate I would have immediately sat up and instead I found myself first at the finish line. It took me time to realize it, the next day I had to rewatch the race videos to confirm that it was all real," Lennart tells us, still incredulous about that incredible success. The victory in Trento and the best climber's jersey of the race were just the beginning of an incredible season full of many placings, including second place in the national championship and culminating with success in the second stage of the Giro d'Abruzzo.

Despite his name now being on everyone's lips, Lennart still hasn't gotten used to being in the spotlight. Formally in his first year as a pro, he is gradually discovering this new world that is very far from that of speed skating. "From speed skating to cycling was a really difficult transition. I was used to competing indoors, always in Europe, and instead I find myself visiting places that without this sport I wouldn't have the opportunity to see. When you skate everything is controlled obsessively, you look at every detail, you want to improve on every curve, on every meter, you can predict every race. In cycling instead you can't make a real forecast, there are so many factors to consider including the weather. I often ask myself if the choice of the bike is the right one, then I look back and realize that I shouldn't regret what has been, it's part of the past and I should only be grateful to have had the opportunity to do both things. When I started cycling more seriously I just wanted to continue doing a sport, I never would have imagined being able to get to this point." Lennart continues, living an adventure he never imagined. If his first goal was to become an athlete, the next one became winning a race, and now that he already has two victories in his palmares he's starting to think big. He still hasn't figured out what kind of rider he can become, but he doesn't want to limit himself to a single category, he loves to attack and climbs well. His next dream is to participate in a Grand Tour, only time will tell how far he can go, but one thing is certain: Italy has been treating him rather well. As a speed skater he visited our country mainly for vacations, but now it has become one of his favorite places to train and where he has won... in 2025 and already twice this year as a pro.

The Tour of Langkawi is his first experience in this part of the world. In Europe there are high expectations for him, but the team has chosen not to put pressure on him. The objective is clearly to do well in the general classification, maybe try to win a stage and reach the top five final, but the climbing stages will decide everything. "Here in Malaysia there's a really strange climate, I usually do very well in the heat but here the humidity is absolutely crazy. I think that already in the second stage I'll be able to see how my body reacts. Here my main objective is to understand if I can compete in short stage races too, if I can climb and especially how far I can go."

Meanwhile today in Malaysia the second stage is being raced with an unprecedented and challenging final climb. For Lennart Jasch it will be the fundamental opportunity to test himself again and understand how far he can go.