Antwan Tolhoek still looking for a 2024 contract after lackluster season: "I am open to everything"

Antwan Tolhoek was once referred to as one of the Netherlands' big cycling talents. However, the son of ex-pro Patrick Tolhoek had to contend with a lot of trouble throughout his career, which is characterized by many ups and downs, which has partly resulted in him being without a team for the time being next year as he reveals in an interview with In de Leiderstrui.

"It was not a rosy year for me, certainly not," says the Dutch climber. "At one point I didn't even race for five months," he then refers to the period between the UAE Tour and the Tour de Pologne, where he returned to competition. "With the exception of the opening stage in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but that cannot be called a real participation," he refers to his early withdrawal from the French WorldTour race due to knee pain.

"Fortunately, things went well again in Poland," he continues his story. "Then I really thought I was on my way back. But unfortunately I got sick the day before the Arctic Race of Norway. I did finish that race, but it didn't really go well. I paid a hefty price for that, because I was in bed with the flu for a while afterwards. So it really didn't turn out to be the season I had hoped for. This year I will still be riding the CRO Race and the Tour of Guanxi. And maybe some Italian one-day races, but I'm not sure about that yet."

Good results in Croatia and China could easily help Tolhoek get a contract. His contract with Lidl-Trek expires at the end of 2023 and Tolhoek has not yet heard much about a possible extension. "I am open to everything," says Tolhoek. "I don't have anything at the moment. The cards have sometimes appeared differently. Then teams were eager to sign me or sign a new contract. At the moment it's not and that sucks, because I still feel just as good as I did back then," he is candid.