Rien Schuurhuis, the improbable trajectory of the first Vatican player at the European Championships

The 42-year-old runner, born in the Netherlands, obtained Vatican sports citizenship in 2020. He will be the first runner from the Holy See to line up at the European Championships on Sunday.

You can be called Rien and have everything to gain. Rien Schuurhuis, 42, was born in Groningen, Netherlands, but on Sunday, September 15, he will be wearing the Vatican’s colors alone at the European Cycling Championships in Belgium.

How did he end up there, defending the colours of the Holy See? The Australian-Dutchman, who worked his way through Cambodian and Australian third division teams as his wife moved, owes it to the latter. An Australian diplomat at the Vatican, she opened a door for him that was normally difficult to access. “EIn 2019, the Pope launched Athletica Vaticana, the Vatican’s sports federation, with the aim of promoting inclusion and fraternity through sport. You don’t You can only be a member if you work at the Vatican, oru if a direct member of your family works there“reveals Rien Schuurhuis.

Convinced by the message conveyed by the Pope, he is now the representative of the Vatican City State, he who had never had the opportunity to wear a national jersey. “Athletics was already pretty well established, they were just setting up the cycling part. I was attracted by the message of inclusion and brotherhood through sport that the federation was trying to convey.”he justifies.

As part of a team that now includes around ten riders, all amateurs, he answered the call when in 2022 the Vatican asked him to represent it for its first world championships in Australia.

“On the starting line of the 2022 Worlds, I was next to Julian Alaphilippe, he was super welcoming and kind. He gave me an overview of France’s strategy so that I survive as long as possible. And that helped me a lot.”

Rien Schuurhuis, Vatican runner

to franceinfo: sport

Next to Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel, his large frame (1.95 m) does not go unnoticed, like his unusual history. “Everyone was very welcoming. I had had a bit of exposure before, so a lot of the riders knew who I was. During the race reconnaissance I met Wout van Aert, who said to me: ‘Oh, you’re the Vatican runner, I’ve heard about you, it’s great that you’re participating’. It was quite magical to be on the starting line.”he remembers.

For his first race at this level, the man who started cycling at… 19 years old even allowed himself the luxury of attacking. He admits it himself, “The goal is not to finish the race, but to go into the breakaway to spread the message of Athletica Vaticana.” In Glasgow in 2023, Rien Schuurhuis tried again, with the same result: a little light on the Holy See, and an abandonment.

But the main thing was done: he had fun and the Vatican now exists in the eyes of the International Cycling Union, which has made it its 200th member in 2021. Rien Schuurhuis, for his part, rubs shoulders with the world’s best every September, for his only race of the year until the 2024 vintage, when he will double up as European and world championship winners.

An annual shot of cycling and a form of apotheosis for a jerky career. “SIf you reach a certain age, people will start judging you, saying you are too old for the top level, that you should retire. I don’t believe in that. It’s a passion for life”he believes.

At 42, the man who was influenced by Miguel Indurain in his youth unfortunately has “no more time to watch the races like during [ses] studies” since he has a 3D printer business to run on the side, and is content with video summaries of “a few minutes of the Tour de France”. “I like the Van der Poel-Van Aert rivalry and seeing Tadej Pogacar win the Tour”he concedes.

In Hasselt (Belgium) on Sunday, he will be the first rider to represent the Vatican at the European Championships. He will be surrounded by his wife and two sons, who are cycling enthusiasts and accompany him every year.

He will also have the staff of the national team, which includes Valerio Agnoli, teammate of Vincenzo Nibali throughout his career, “a great help when you’re just starting out and don’t know what to do.” Rien Schuurhuis has a personal coach and has prepared for this event alone, although he enjoys going out with the members of the selection, who come from “of all backgrounds, ages and genders”he says.

As at the World Championships, in which he will participate for the third time in Zurich (Switzerland) on September 29, the adopted Vatican native will try to intrigue the spectators by slipping his white and yellow jersey into the breakaway, before resisting as long as possible. “I have no illusions of finishing the race. It would be nice, but it’s not realistic. The best way to get some exposure is to try to get in the breakaway. I’ve managed that the last few times, so we’ll see how it goes on Sunday.”he concluded.