Bauke Mollema - "I didn't expect this to be possible. I had secretly hoped for a medal"

Bauke Mollema has won a gold medal on his debut at the Dutch National Time Trial Championship.

“I didn't expect this to be possible. I had secretly hoped for a medal, I don't know if I could have won other years, But today I had a super day. Everything went perfectly... And against real specialists, I'm never around, like Tom Dumoulin or Jos van Emden. But last few years the time trials went very well. I was already thinking about it and this year it came. That you start like this, is very special," Mollema said after his surprising win.

Mollema's also commented on the upcoming Tour de France. "Yes, just now my team manager told me that in Copenhagen I may start in the red-white-blue in the Tour. They may work at the team to make a suit quickly. That's going to be very nice. It does give me a kick," Mollema said, thrilled.

He recently signed a contract until 2026. The 35-year old has taken a special win, and renewed motivation with a new spark in his career. "I've never managed to win a national championship, not even in the youth." he concluded.