At 37, the Dutch veteran Bauke Mollema still hopes to participate in a Grand Tour in the coming seasons. This year, for the first time in almost 14 years, Bauke Mollema was not aligned on any Grand Tour. In an interview with Dutch media Cycling flashthe team runner Lidl-Trek takes stock of his season and expresses in particular his wish to return to a Grand Tour in the years to come, if he is able to complete his immense record by adding a victory on the Tour of Italy to his list, to enter the closed circle of stage winners on the three Grand Tours. He also talks about his desire to participate again in the Santos Tour Down Under next year.
Video – Bauke Mollema participated in the Santos Tour Down Under 2024
“The Giro? I don’t really think about it”
Author of a magnificent start to the 2024 season, with an exceptional campaign of Ardennes classics, Bauke Mollema legitimately expected to participate in the Large Loop this year, but his team (Lidl-Trek) decided otherwise. “Do I want to complete the trio with a stage victory at the Giro? I don't really think about it. Did I miss them? Well, not really. I would really have liked to do the Tour. That was my goal, to make this selection. In the end, it didn't work. But I had a good summer. I did other fun things, I barely rode a bike for a month. This worked well in itself. Of course I would like to participate in a Grand Tour again. It also depends on the will of the team.
I don't really need it anymore. I think I'd better focus on something else. I mean, the last two times, in 2022 and 2023, things didn't really go well on the Grand Tours either. In 2021, I of course won a stage of the Tour. But our selection is now so good and so broad that two Grand Tours are probably no longer an option anyway. I think I can be happy at Lidl-Trek if I can participate in a Grand Tour in the next two seasons,” says Bauke Mollema.
“There is a good chance that I will start the Santos Tour Down Under again.”
The experienced Dutchman also spoke about his 2024 season with the Santos Tour Down Underthe Ardennes classics, the World Championships in Zurich, where he finished in 12th place, and the end-of-season Italian classics. “What I remember from this year is that the preparation for the World Championships went really well. I will try to repeat this to a large extent next year. I would like to be there again in Rwanda. If I'm really good at the World Championships, like I was a few weeks ago, I'll normally be just as good at the Italian classics that follow. But I also did very well in the Walloon classics. I hope this will be a goal for me again. There is a good chance that I will start the Tour Down Under again. I enjoyed this year,” concludes the Dutchman of the team Lidl-Trek.
