Fabio Jakobsen will head to next week's AlUla Tour with a simple objective: to be in the action of the expected three sprint finishes and fight for the best possible result.
After just one victory in 2024, more frustration in 2025 and then surgery to resolve an Iliac artery problem in both of his legs, the Dutch Picnic-PostNL sprinter is both cautious but determined to make a successful comeback.
"No excuses, the past two years in the team have been, to use a bad word; 'Shit.' No results, one win, that's not why I came here. But at least there was a diagnosis, why I couldn't sprint for wins," Jakobsen told a small group of media, including Cyclingnews, during the team's January training camp in Calpe, Spain.
"Now it's a process to get back to the peloton, to being in the final of the sprints, to making the podium. After that comes winning. The last two years have been really, really disappointing. But now it's time to make up for that and make the team proud."
Jakobsen's palmarès include 45 victories, stages at the Tour de France, Vuelta a a España and sprinter's Classics like Scheldeprijs. His terrible crash at the 2020 Tour de Pologne was a turning point in his career but he made a comeback, winning his Grand Tour sprints until his sprinting prowess faded gradually in 2024 and 2025.
He didn't know it at the time but a blood flow restriction in his legs made it difficult to race hard and then sprint. He underwent surgery in the spring of 2025.
A growing number of riders have faced the same problem and undergone surgery. Marianne Vos has made a successful return to racing but Eli Iserbyt was recently forced to retire after surgery failed to fully resolve his blood flow problems.
"It was rough," Jakobsen said of the surgery.
"It was quite painful because they go through the abdomen, so they really open you up, it was open belly surgery.
"Luckily the medical world has advanced so much that they cut a piece out, stitch the pipe [vein] back together and usually the blood flow is normal again. But you're off the bike for five weeks, then you're slowly building up for another five to ten weeks. So it's about three months without real training."
Jakobsen made his comeback at the Tour of Denmark but a nasty collarbone fracture at the Tour of Holland disrupted his comeback. However he has learnt to fight on and now knows that blood flow in his legs no longer restricts his sprinting.
"When I did blood tests before surgery, there was 42 per cent and 38 per cent less pressure in my ankles. Now we're back to 96 or 98 per cent. So, now the blood flow is constant, even when the leg is best all the way up, even in the aggressive position in the drops," Jakobsen revealed.
"Now it's just about building back up to the top shape. It's not an easy way back but when you feel that you're improving all the time, that's motivating."
'I always want to win or be good at something'
Jakobsen was known for his sprinter's aggression in the heat of the moment. He had the speed, power and bravado to fight for position at 70kph and then kick to the line, fighting for victory. His sprinter's persona has helped him overcome all the problems and disappointments of his career.
"I always want to win or be good at something. I think it's the competitiveness in me. I think that's why I am a professional cyclist," he said.
"Of course, as you get older, you realise that nothing is permanent. Top sport can be unhealthy or sometimes detrimental for your health."
Jakobsen will make his 2026 debut at the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia, taking on Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor) and others before a first WorldTour sprint battle at the subsequent UAE Tour. He will then ride Ename Samyn Classic in Belgium, Nokere Koerse, the Bredene Koksijde Classic, the Ronde van Brugge and Scheldeprijs, a mix of early-season sprinting and then a series of sprinter's Classics.
His summer race programme and thoughts of riding a Grand Tour will only be considered after his spring of recovery.
Jakobsen wants to win again but knows he needs to build his form, sprint instincts and a new lead out train at Picnic-PostNL.
"Let's start with being on the podium again," he said pragmatically.
"For the past year, I was just following the wheels. I don't think there's one race where you see me get out of the slipstream and do a good 150 metre sprint, so the first goal is to be in the final again, in the first five, the first three, and then show a decent sprint."
