| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Pope's Cyclist [1] |
| Born | 12 August 1982 Groningen, Netherlands |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Vatican Cycling |
| Discipline | Road cycling |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprinter |
| Amateur team | |
| 2021– | Vatican Cycling |
| Professional teams | |
| 2015–2016 | Oliver's Real Food Racing |
| 2016 | Blank Inc Cycling Team |
| 2017–2018 | Oliver's Real Food Racing |
Rien John Schuurhuis (born 12 August 1982) is a Dutch-born Vatican road cyclist and industrial design engineer who competed for the Vatican City in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 UCI Road World Championships. He was the first cyclist and athlete who represented the Vatican City as a regular scoring competitor. [2]
Schuurhuis was introduced to cycling at a young age saying he "could ride a bike before I could walk," due to the cycling culture of the Netherlands. [2] Schuurhuis holds Dutch citizenship due to his birth, Australian citizenship as his wife Chiara Porro is Australian, and Vatican citizenship because he resides there and because his wife was the Australian Ambassador to the Holy See. [2] [3] He moved to Rome in 2020. [4] He has two children, Thomas and George. [5]
Schuurhuis started competing internationally for teams such as Oliver's Real Food Racing and Blank Inc Cycling Team under a Dutch sporting nationality. [1] In 2020 when he moved to Rome, he was "immediately drawn to the values and community spirit of Athletica Vaticana", and in 2021 he started competing for the Vatican City. [4]
Schuurhuis was the first athlete to represent Vatican City as a regular scoring competitor after competing in the men's road race at the 2022 UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, [1] although he did not finish the race. [6] Schuurhuis was eligible to represent Vatican City as he gained citizenship through his marriage with Chiara Porro, the former Ambassador of Australia to the Holy See. [1] He has also represented Vatican City at the 2023 and 2024 editions of the world championships, and the 2024 European Championships, all in the same event. [7]