Mathieu Hermans Sets His Sights on Conquering the Spanish Market with Bioracer: "Landing a New Client Feels Like Winning a Race"

Mathieu Hermans (62) from Dongen near Utrecht was an incredibly fast finisher who collected victories by the dozen. An impressive 74 professional wins grace his palmares, primarily earned in Spanish competitions. But even after hanging up his racing wheels, he remained deeply embedded in the cycling world. He became Sales Manager at Bioracer – and here too, there's a Spanish connection!

From Spain to the Low Countries and Back Again

When Mathieu Hermans retired from racing at 33, he sold his Spanish home and returned to the Netherlands. He married the girl next door from his cycling supporters' café and had four children with her. "All in all, I'm a family man," he explains. "I love watching my children grow up alongside their cousins. That would have been a real loss in Spain. Now that the kids have left home, they sometimes hint that we should have our own place in Spain again. That might still happen," Mathieu muses.

Indeed, Mathieu Hermans ultimately found his second career at Bioracer. It happened like this: "It makes sense that a rider stays connected to the cycling world. When I look around at the start line or after the finish now, I still see many people I raced with – both in team management and among suppliers."

Mathieu first became a co-commentator for NOS. "In 1997, I was doing the Tour of the Netherlands and got talking with a Bioracer representative. They were looking for someone in the Netherlands. So I started working with them. It was quite pleasant, though you do spend a lot of time in the car. But the contact with bike dealers was always very warm."

Rigo Urán

In 2007, Mathieu was approached to become a team director for Unibet. That squad included fast Frenchman Jimmy Casper, Dutchman Laurens ten Dam, and Colombian climbers Victor Hugo Peña and Rigoberto Urán. "I was willing to do it on the condition they would race in Bioracer kit," Hermans grins. "And they did exactly that. Afterwards, I became sales manager for the Benelux region and later was able to introduce Bioracer to the Spanish and Colombian markets."

"The latter happened through Rigoberto Urán, whom I knew from my time at Unibet. This allowed Bioracer to establish both a production line and sales network there. Bioracer quickly gained a strong foothold, and naturally I leveraged my Spanish contacts to put Bioracer on the map there too. I speak Spanish well, so I enjoy spending time in Spain and Colombia. The Spanish market is running quite well now, but there's definitely room for further growth."

Highest category climb

In between everything else, the versatile Hermans also wrote a book about his career. Unsurprisingly, it was translated into Spanish and sells like hotcakes there. "Occasionally, Spanish cycling tourist clubs invite me to give talks about the book and my career," he says proudly.

The transition from racing to business was a massive leap. "As a rider, everything is done for you – you just have to pedal. But in business, I had to build everything myself: learning about products and helping improve them, visiting shops, acquiring clients, drawing up contracts, following up on orders... You have to keep many balls in the air simultaneously. Fortunately, it went well, which felt really good. I was able to grow alongside Bioracer and contribute to that growth myself, like helping launch Colombian production. It's a completely different rhythm of life. You compete – just like in racing – against competitors. Landing a new client feels a bit like claiming a victory; it gives the same satisfaction."