On Wednesday, June 22nd, The Dutch Tourist Trophy saw a turn of events when Bauke Mollema rode his bike across the crossing line and won the national title by overthrowing Tom Dumoulin of team Jumbo-Visma. The team Trek–Segafredo rider was as stunned as any spectator with his first-ever win of the Dutch TT title of his career.
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Right when his fans had abandoned all hopes of ever seeing their favorite cyclist holding the Dutch TT national title, Mollema sprung the win on them and was as surprised by the victory as anyone else. He was not surprised because he had not put in the effort, he was stunned because he got what he wished for, “A Medal.”
One can determine his level of astonishment from the statement he made:
Today I had a super day. Everything went perfectly. For example, I was very good at staying aero. I surprised myself too because I didn’t expect this to be possible. I secretly hoped for a medal. But really winning and with a lead of half a minute, I had never imagined that.
The 35-year-old gave Tom Dumoulin a run for the title by beating him by 31 seconds, Even though he doesn’t believe himself to be as good as his competitor, Dumoulin. Winning the Dutch TT title also means that Bauke Mollema will be wearing the Dutch colors at the opening stage of the Tour de France. As Bauke made it public knowledge, he said:
Yes, my sports director just told me that I can start in Copenhagen in the red-white-and-blue in the Tour
He continued:
That is going to be very nice. It does give a kick. I have never been able to win a Dutch championship, not even as a youth
We do know they say “Old is Gold”, but now we have the reason to believe it too.
He was racing in the elite category for the first time (can you believe it?!) and took the WIN 💪… @BaukeMollema must like to make an entrance 😜@daanhoole rounded out the podium positions at #NKtijdrijden #Emmen2022, taking third place 🥉👏 pic.twitter.com/bjuVD98Mk4
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) June 22, 2022
Below are the race results:
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bauke Mollema | Trek–Segafredo | 33:03 |
| 2 | Tom Dumoulin | Team Jumbo–Visma | + 31 |
| 3 | Daan Hoole | Trek–Segafredo | + 33 |
| 4 | Jos Van Emden | Team Jumbo–Visma | + 45 |
| 5 | Elmar Reinders | Riwal Cycling Team | + 51 |
Also Read:
- Tour De France: Who Made It To Team Lotto Soudal’s Roster
- Bike Trek Serial Number Lookup: Importance, Registration And More
Featured Image Via YouTube/ FloBikes
