Bauke Mollema will try Tour Down Under for the first time in his career: "I asked it myself. It seems nice to me and everyone is always positive about it"
Cycling
Bauke Mollema celebrated his 37th birthday at the end of November. The experienced rider from Lidl-Trek once again shows that you are never old enough to try something new. For the first time in his long career, Mollema will start the 2024 season at the Tour Down Under, he tells WielerFlits.
The Dutchman himself took the initiative to propose the trip to the team management. "I asked it myself. It seems nice to me and everyone is always positive about it. That will be a first for me." Mollema will leave for Australia on January 8. The Down Under Classic is scheduled for Saturday, January 13, a one-hour criterium plus three laps of 1.35 kilometers.
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The Tour Down Under itself will then start on Wednesday, January 17, and will last until Monday, January 22. On Thursday, January 25, Mollema and his team will also participate in the Surf Coast Classic (UCI 1.1) in and around Torquay. That race precedes the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, which, like the TDU, is a WorldTour race. Last year those races were won by Jay Vine and Marius Mayrhofer respectively.
After the Australian trip, Mollema will complete a training block at home in Monaco. "Normally, my next races after that are the two French classics Drôme Classic and Ardèche Classic at the end of February. This may be followed by Paris-Nice, but that is not yet certain. The Itzulia Basque Country and the Walloon classics are. Then, noramlly, I will not do the Giro d'Italia and I don't know yet what my program will look like after that."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
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