When sprinter Fabio Jacobsen (Quick-Step Alfa Vinyl) raised his victory cry three times at last year's Vuelta a España, even the most neutral spectator could not help but be moved. 2022 will see him make his Tour de France Tour de France.

The Dutchman's hat trick and points jersey win in Spain was life affirming, as it was his first Grand Tour victory since the dramatic accident that nearly killed him in the 2020 Tour de Pollogne.

Jacobsen said at the time that the victory marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one in his career, and being congratulated on his victory by his sprint rivals and friends at the finish lines across Spain certainly made it all a memorable moment.

Such past notwithstanding, the next chapter in his career will open with the Classics this spring, Jacobsen told a small group of journalists at the Quick-Step Alphavinir team camp. Jacobsen, a two-time Scheldepri winner, will resume his interrupted success story in 2020 and tackle entirely new terrain in the Tour de France.

"I want to run the spring race first. I'm not going to be able to do it in the spring because, like many other riders, I had a coronavirus infection that took two seasons off and I still hadn't recovered from my accident in 2021.

"In the spring I want to win the Belgian race and Paris-Nice again. Valencia, Algarve, then Coure Brussel-Coone, followed by Ghent-Wevelgem, De Panne and Suheldepri if possible."

"Then in April I will take a short break to prepare for the Tour de France."

"I'll be back in the mountains in April," he said.

All of these are further steps toward a return to competition in 2021 and beyond, but Jacobsen says the satisfaction and joy he experienced in winning the Vuelta a España is an important part of his newfound confidence in sprinting.

"Of course. I was at rock bottom. I wasn't at rock bottom, I was just above it, and I knew what I had and what I was about to lose. So living as a professional cyclist and trying to win with my teammates is one of the most beautiful things you can do in life, just to have fun."

"It was always there, but when I almost lost it, it was even greater. As a sprinter, I think at the start of every race and at the end of every chance, I stand there with that smile on my face."

"But you know, sometimes the journey is better than the result."

Jacobsen laughed when asked which was harder, forgetting the crash in Pollogne or building up his form again.

"Forgetting the crash was easy. It was easy to forget the crash. I went from near zero to making progress step by step. But to finish the first race, the first victory, and the Vuelta like that ...... It was step by step to get back to being a top sprinter.

"I didn't have to forget, just deal with it and analyze what I could do to get back. Not just as a cyclist, but as a human being. I always say that I'm ten years wiser in one year. Because as you get closer to the end, you value things differently."

Reports that teammate Mark Cavendish's Tour de France participation was uncertain were confirmed in separate interviews Jacobsen gave to the Belgian and Dutch media. Jacobsen has been in the news for some time now. Jacobsen, however, is hopeful that he will participate in the Tour after the 2021 Vuelta, which was guaranteed to him by team boss Patrick Lefebvre.

"When you're young, maybe 12 or 13 years old, it's something you dream about, and you don't know if it's possible. So to think that that kid got to the starting line [of the Tour], it's very special."

"It motivates me to be able to say now that I'm going for a sprint stage win and I'm happy that the team has put their faith in me. That's my big goal for next year."

"After two successful Vuelta's, I'm looking to step it up a notch and win in France.

Memories of spectacular sprint victories by other riders in the Tour de France brought him back to his British teammates.

"Last year, me and Cavendish kind of made a comeback together. When he was at HTC, we did the 'phone gesture' when he won. It was a gesture that was very typical of him, and one that no one would normally do"

.

"Of course, he has won many times, but if you ask me which one is the most memorable."