Thomas De Gendt

Thomas De Gendt (born 6 November 1986) is a Belgian former road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2009 to 2024.

Having competed for Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator, Vacansoleil–DCM, Omega Pharma–Quick-Step and Lotto–Dstny during his career, De Gendt has taken seventeen professional victories including five Grand Tour stage victories – with at least one at each of the three Grand Tours – and five stage wins at the Volta a Catalunya between 2013 and 2021. The winner of the mountains classification at the 2018 Vuelta a España, De Gendt has also finished on the podium at the 2012 Giro d'Italia, where he was third overall.

In his first season at UCI Professional Continental level with Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator in 2009, Sint-Niklaas-born De Gendt won the Internationale Wielertrofee Jong Maar Moedig one-day race, a stage of the Tour de Wallonie, and the mountains and sprints classifications at the Tour of Britain. The following year, De Gendt finished second at Brabantse Pijl, and recorded top-five overall finishes at Étoile de Bessèges (fourth), the Tour of Belgium (fifth) and the Ster Elektrotoer (third).

After two seasons with Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator, De Gendt joined Vacansoleil–DCM for the 2011 season. De Gendt won the opening stage of Paris–Nice and also won stage 7 of the Tour de Suisse. At the Tour de France, despite suffering a minor collarbone fracture, De Gendt had a strong final week, finishing sixth on stage 19 to Alpe d'Huez and fourth in the time trial the following day. He took one other victory during the season – a stage at the Circuit de Lorraine – as he extended his contract with the team, until the end of 2013.

In 2012, De Gendt won stage 7 of Paris–Nice after a 60-kilometre (37-mile) solo attack, having been in a breakaway with Rein Taaramäe; he won the stage by over six minutes ahead of Taaramäe. In the Giro d'Italia, he won the penultimate stage at the Stelvio Pass with a solo breakaway which brought him to fourth in the general classification. The following day he advanced to finish third in the final classification to take his first grand tour podium after passing Michele Scarponi in the final individual time trial. He took one further victory for the team, in 2013, winning the final stage of the Volta a Catalunya.

In October 2013, Omega Pharma–Quick-Step announced that they were signing De Gendt for the 2014 season after the Vacansoleil–DCM outfit folded. However, De Gendt left the team after just one season.

After an uneventful season with Omega Pharma–Quick-Step, De Gendt moved to Lotto–Soudal in 2015 on an initial two-year contract. In his first season with the team, De Gendt won the mountains classification at Paris–Nice, and following Stefan Denifl's results being expunged in 2019, was retroactively designated the winner of the mountains classification at the Tour de Suisse.

At the 2016 Volta a Catalunya, De Gendt led the sprints classification from start to finish, and he also won the mountains classification, having assumed the lead after his stage victory on stage four, the queen stage of the race. At the Tour de France, De Gendt held a jersey for the first time at a Grand Tour, taking the polka dot jersey as mountains classification leader following stage five – where he had finished second to Greg Van Avermaet. He held the jersey for three stages initially, and then regained the lead for a further three days following stage twelve, after winning on Mont Ventoux. He ultimately finished second to Rafał Majka in the mountains classification standings.