Not too long ago, Bauke Mollema was a cornerstone of Trek-Segafredo, but with the new sponsor Lidl, the landscape may soon change drastically for the 37-year-old Dutchman. A new role? Mollema is seriously considering it, especially now that opportunities are arising in the newly formed classification team.
Lidl-Trek has relied on Mollema's contributions since 2015, and during this time, he has secured impressive victories, including Clasica San Sebastian (2016), Il Lombardia (2019), and two stages in the Tour de France. In 2022, he also claimed the Dutch time trial championship. He extended his contract until the end of 2026 that year, and nothing suggested a season that wasn't consistently strong from start to finish. However, in 2023, Mollema found himself trailing.
"It's been going quite well the last two weeks,' Mollema now shares in an extensive interview with IDLProCycling.com. Sporting a trendy beard ('something different for a change'), the veteran rider mentions that he took a complete break after the season. "I did nothing for a few weeks after the Japan Cup, following our team's journey to America. I spent time at home with the family, enjoying nice weather. Then I started training a bit early because I'm headed to the Tour Down Under in January."
The Tour Down Under? Indeed, Mollema is bound for Australia. "It's my first time, and I requested it myself. I wanted to go a few years ago because my season ended quite early after the corona year in 2020. Only in 2021 did the Tour Down Under not take place; otherwise, I would have participated. We didn't go for it last year, but now I wanted something different—a new experience. I'm looking forward to it. I also enjoy the heat, and everyone says it's a beautiful race, so we're eager to discover that."
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Mollema heads to Tour Down Under in 2024
After the Australian trip, Mollema plans to take it easy for a while before participating in the Walloon classics and engaging in French one-day races. "I won't be competing in the cobbled classics anymore. While I enjoyed my debut in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, it doesn't align well after Down Under, even if I still plan to participate in Paris-Nice or the Tirreno. I won't be exploring completely new territories, although the Giro is not on the agenda. After that, we'll assess my form," Mollema mentioned with a chuckle. It's a logical approach, as uncertainties have arisen. In 2023, he missed the Tour de France for the first time since 2010 due to a lack of form—a setback for the Dutchman. "I did reflect on that a bit during the season and documented my thoughts on it."
Mollema emphasized that he wasn't dwelling on the setback. "My performance in the major tours, the Giro and the Vuelta, was just mediocre. It's not that I felt off throughout the season; I simply didn't have a proper preparation for both races and didn't achieve satisfactory results leading up to them. Apart from those periods, I felt good during the year, accomplished positive things in training, and my metrics were also promising. I didn't feel like I wasn't progressing all year, but I wasn't at my best when it mattered most. Those were the moments when the highest expectations were set, and my performances were underwhelming."
Mollema does offer an explanation, citing some mitigating circumstances. "Physically, I wasn't in optimal condition on both occasions. I battled a lingering cough for an extended period, persisting even during the Giro. I wasn't in peak health and fell ill again ten days before the Vuelta. I entered the races feeling unwell and also skipped altitude training before both tours. It probably would have been better to incorporate it before the Giro. Everything ended up overlapping."
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Bauke Mollema in the Vuelta
What's next? Lidl-Trek has been bustling with activity in recent months. The American cycling team secured Lidl as its new main sponsor, resulting in increased budget and the addition of two new leaders, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Jonathan Milan. The team is also welcoming new personnel. Mollema will have a new trainer since his previous trainer, Josu Larrazabal, is taking on a more managerial role. These changes are all welcomed by Mollema. "Different exercises, different training... Maybe it's good for a change. I was with Josu for nine years, and now I have Wout Poels' trainer, who has shown promising results this year, so it's refreshing."
After that, the ball is in his court. "My role will depend on my level. In Down Under, it could be a free role with potential opportunities, but I understand that other riders have been brought in for the major races. We have become much stronger overall, so I'm expected to support riders like Skjelmose, Ciccone, and Geoghegan Hart as best as I can. I'm looking forward to that; I enjoyed riding for these guys in the classics and the Giro. With these teammates, we aim not only for a General Classification in the Grand Tours but also in races like Paris-Nice. The expectations are higher, and we are no longer satisfied with an eighth place in a stage race. I like that."
Fortunately, Mollema has three years left on his contract with a team he couldn't have envisioned when he renewed his contract in 2022 with such a major sponsor. "The Trek marketing team has already set high expectations in a speech. We genuinely want to compete with Jumbo-Visma; that's definitely the goal. In 2023, we secured fifth place in the WorldTour ranking, our best team ranking. We aim to surpass that in 2024."
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Mollema at work in Clasica San Sebastián 2023
New races, a new trainer, a new sponsor, and new goals: 2024 promises to be a year of change for both Mollema and Lidl-Trek. With these changes comes a new role. Mollema has already embraced the idea, and in the coming years, a supporting role appears much more realistic than a chance for personal victories in the prominent races of the calendar. "I could derive a lot of satisfaction from pulling at the front like those domestiques at Jumbo-Visma," Mollema reiterated later in the interview.
Sport director Steven de Jongh, also featured in an extensive interview with IDLProCycling.com, doesn't mince words: "Bauke, and I can be honest about that, hasn't had the standout season we're accustomed to from him. It was a challenging year, and with all these new additions, much depends on how Bauke performs. If he regains his form and level from pre-2023, then he will be eligible for many races and can operate in a role akin to Robert Gesink. If he doesn't reach that level, participating in the major races will be very difficult for Bauke."
"A free role will be challenging in a classification team, but Bauke can be of great value if he returns to his previous level. He is not naive and understands the situation. He will be motivated to showcase what he can still achieve," De Jongh continued. Interestingly, the opportunity for a new role arose from Mollema himself when he received the news that he would miss the Tour de France. "He expressed his willingness to take on a supporting role, and that was the first time he mentioned it. He was still one of our leaders in 2023, but it's positive that he vocalized this. Now we know he genuinely desires that role, but it implies that he has to reach his potential as a domestique as well. He is highly motivated to avoid a repeat of a year like 2023. One should never underestimate Bauke; he truly has the capability to achieve it."