Born and raised in Belgium, Laurien grew up like most Belgians - using a bicycle as her primary mode of everyday transportation. Ironically though, it wasn't until she moved to the U.S. that she began riding for sport. New to Houston in 2023, she got a road bike and joined local social rides simply to meet people and get a little fitter. From there, cycling very quickly evolved into a full-blown passion.
In 2025, she decided to dip her toes into racing, competing and performing well in the local Texas racing scene. She stood on the podium of every gravel event she entered during that debut year - with strong second-place finishes at Castell Grind and R3 Express, and a 3rd place finish at Doss Gravel. She also podiumed at several road races (Pace Bend, Davy Crockett) and criteriums (TX State Championships, Memorial Park Crits).
In 2026, Laurien elevated her performance through consistent, highly dedicated training. Focusing mostly on gravel, she dominated the Texas spring gravel calendar with wins at Castell Grind (1/22 female, 30/199 overall) and Wire Donkey (1/11 female, 9/78 overall). Taking it further to the national stage, Laurien captured the overall female amateur victories at the Mid South (1/171 female, 39/1133 overall) and a grueling edition of Unbound (1/149 female, 48/1250 overall), clocking finish times highly competitive with the elite professional women's field.These undeniable results propelled her out of the amateur ranks onto the next level.
With a steep upward trajectory, this is only the beginning. Moving forward, Laurien is setting her sights on the Pro/Elite fields, ready to compete and make her mark at key U.S. gravel events
