Bob Jungels – Mister multifaceted
March 2023
Bob Jungels is a true all-rounder, a multi-talent, both in sport and in his private life. On a bike, he is able to impress in the overall ranking of Grand Tours, win demanding mountain stages, capture attention during time trials and claim victory at difficult classics. He is the six-time road bike champion and eight-time time trial champion in Luxembourg – a great sign of his cycling prowess despite the country’s small population. When not in the saddle, the dark chocolate fan is a man of many hobbies, a talented linguist and – when he has the time – a passionate cook.
Photocredit:
BORA - hansgrohe / Sprintcycling
BORA / Helge Roeske
The ups and downs of professional sport
At just 30 years of age, Bob Jungels is already competing in his 11th professional season this year and has already gained a great deal of experience and had plenty to celebrate. But things haven’t always gone uphill for him. After a few difficult years with an unexplained drop in performance and major pain below his hips, he was given a sobering diagnosis in 2021: endofibrosis.
The condition involved a change to his iliac artery that restricted the blood supply to his legs. The only hope was a complex operation. After this, Bob worked hard to make his comeback and regained his status as one of the world’s best cyclists with his Tour de France stage victory in 2022 when he won a demanding mountain stage with a breathtaking solo.
Family love that runs through his veins
In his private life, Bob is extremely family-oriented. His little sister and parents are key constants for him and he has their names tattooed on his back. This is one of the reasons why he returned to his home country of Luxembourg after several years in Switzerland. His friends are important to him too. Together, they enjoy multiple hobbies such as good wine (preferably red) and fast cars.
Bob is also passionate about cooking. Outside the race season, he can sometimes spend an entire day in the kitchen and impress his nearest and dearest with a complex multi-course meal. He has also made preparations for when his career as a professional athlete is over: he has established an architectural practice with two friends, even though he has to admit with a smile that his current involvement is only really in an advisory capacity.
Bob & BORA - hansgrohe – a perfect match
Why does Bob ride for BORA - hansgrohe now? This too comes down to the combination of many different factors. Bob enjoys the relaxed, family-like atmosphere in the team. He loves getting actively involved and helping young riders develop. At the same time, he values the highly professional, focused way of working.
The team’s German mentality works far better for him than that found in southern Europe, and is not foreign to him as he too believes in the importance of order and punctuality. The focused approach in relation to nutrition and technology was also a factor that attracted him to the Band of Brothers. Curiously, the decisive contact occurred at the wedding of a mutual friend of Bob and BORA - hansgrohe sport director, Enrico Gasparotto. The two actually already knew each other from Enrico’s time as a professional cyclist. Bob’s Tour de France stage victory was the perfect application letter and Enrico instantly knew that “Bob’s greatest quality lies in his versatility.”
And as Bob’s versatility is simply endless, here are a few more things that you probably didn’t yet know about him:
- Pets: two dachshunds
- Miracle foods for preventing the ‘bonk’: freshly picked Mallorcan oranges, Snickers
- Music taste: electro, dance, even if not everyone liked his debut as a DJ on the team bus
- Travel destinations: worldwide, especially with a focus on food and drink
- Best friends in the peloton: Gregory Rast, Julian Alaphilippe, Zdeněk Štybar, Larry Warbasse, Iljo Keisse, Marcel Kittel
And despite all his success and experience, Bob is still hungry; he is characterised by his ambition. His biggest dream? Find out that and much more in the next BORA Kitchen Talk.
