"If he had been Belgian, he would have been one of the icons" - Is retiring Il Lombardia record-holder Mollema's career underrated?
Cycling
Bauke Mollema received a guard of honour from the peloton as he pinned a number for the final time of his twenty-year long career. Calling time on his career, the Dutch rider raced Il Lombardia for the 18th time - a record in the Italian monument.
He turns 40 in November, making his career one of the longest in modern cycling. As well as his longevity in the sport, he hangs up the cycling shoes with an impressive palmares that includes the 2019 Il Lombardia, two Tour de France stages and Clasica San Sebastian among 18 career wins.
However, analysts have questioned whether his legendary career has flown under the radar, claiming that he would have experienced more fame had he been Belgian.
Breaking down his accomplishments, which included a Vuelta a Espana third place and a sixth place at the Tour de France earlier in his career, his latter career saw him take some major wins as they wondered if he had peaked in his latter years.
Mollema won Il Lombardia in 2019
"Maybe he started believing too late that he really is a winner"
"We shouldn't be too critical, but there was perhaps more in it. He finished sixth in a strong Tour de France, but rode his two time trials with a rubbing rear wheel, so to speak," Jan Hermsen said on the Kop over Kop podcast.
"Maybe he started believing too late that he really is a winner, because he was. He is not a slacker, but a winner. I get the impression that his list of achievements could have been a bit more impressive, because he has many qualities."
With his peak coming at time when Belgium didn't boast the likes of Remco Evenepoel as a general classification contender, Hermsman and fellow Belgian Jeroen Vanbelleghem wondered if he had been a bigger star had he been from their nation.
Hermsman concluded "If he had been Belgian, he would have been one of the icons there of the past twenty years."
Vanbelleghem added: "Especially in that period. Back then, we only had Jurgen Van den Broeck for the general classification."
Mollema competed in Il Lombardia 18 times
The Lidl-Trek rider has become synonymous with Il Lombardia as he started his 13th successive edition of the race - which he hadn't missed since 2013. His 2019 victory saw him arrive solo ahead of Alejandro Valverde, Egan Bernal and Jakob Fugslang.
“That’s still my biggest victory, the highlight of my career. I love this race,” Mollema said, reflecting on his 2019 triumph.
“It’s so demanding, one of the hardest with the most meters of climbing. Plus I love Italy with the enthusiastic fans and the way that you always have to expect the unexpected. Anything can happen in Italy.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- that was a great win, and quite a surprise at the time. That was a loaded field, and he held of Valverde for the win. Still shocking that Valverde never won Lombardia. He seemed perfect for it. Mollema just went to work every day.mij12-10-2026
- I hope he races Volta a Majorca. We'll really be able to see if he can do one-day-races (but do they count?)
Rafionain-Glas12-10-2026 - See, you can write a sensible comment without just slagging off everyone else! Well done!👏😆 🫣Lozza12-10-2026
- Seixas best chance is obviously UAE. They are the best team in history of the sport and they developed pogacar into the goat. They also developed Del Toro to be nr 2 in world. Seixas would become unstoppable at UAE. Lets see if Seixas stays at decathlon but if UAE comes knocking its impossible to say no. Barcelone and real madrid combined into one team, thats UAE in cycling it feels like..miguel12-10-2026
- I think he does or goes to whichever team gives him the scope to become the rider everyone thinks he'll be when Tadej stops.. that simpleslappers6612-10-2026
- I remember at one time he was mentioned in the same breath as Seixas. no more. Onley has a lot of work to do to be deserving of that.mij12-10-2026
- I hope he goes to Bahrain-Victorious to mentor JakobRafionain-Glas12-10-2026
- I hope he stays! Cycling is more fun with Primoz, even if he is not winning.mij12-10-2026
- yes for sure, there will be more chances for him at Euro than Lombardia. I wonder if that emotion wasn't also because he knows he has now been eclipsed by a younger rider w/o his goals being checked off. At least when Seixas over takes Tadej someday, Tadej will have accomplished his major goals. He still has Roubaix left, but Seixas isn't a threat there. And he should find a year to get Vuelta. Remco now is behind at least 2 riders w/o ever having won a Tour, one monument to his name, and the next few World Championships are not Remco friendly. I would still take Remco's wins though!!!mij12-10-2026
- Remco was at 100%. He raced as expected: 15th best on the climbs and then best in the sprint of the chasing group. Exactly what he did at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he was on similar form. His win in Amstel was comparable to Quebec or the EurosRafionain-Glas12-10-2026
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