"It's cycling history, but it doesn't feel like it" - XDS Astana Team rider explains what it meant to be Mark Cavendish's teammate

Cees Bol, a 29-year-old rider for the XDS Astana Team, is preparing for his third season with the team. Bol, who recently became a father, played a pivotal role in the 2023 Tour de France, supporting Mark Cavendish as he broke the record for the most Tour stage wins.

Speaking to In de Leiderstrui, Bol reflected on the changes within Astana since he joined in 2023. "I have seen the team change a bit. Of the riders who were there when I joined the team in 2023, there are now only five. That is a huge shift in terms of riders. We also notice that there are other influences in the staff."

He noted that despite the turnover, the team's cultural identity has remained consistent. "That Italian was already strongly present, so the culture has remained the same. That is nice about cycling anyway: you join such a team and you have to make do with all those people from all over the world. And that is still taken to the table, room or whatever," Bol explained.

Bol acknowledged that his schedule for 2025 will differ from last year. "It will be a different season than last year, but in 2023 I had a very similar schedule. Then, with Cavendish there, I had a bit more variety and now that is no longer the case. Last year, up to and including the Tour, almost everything was for Cavendish, except for the classics. This season the focus is a bit different again."

Reflecting on his experience at the Tour de France, Bol recounted the significance of being part of Cavendish's record-breaking achievement. "It's cycling history, but it doesn't feel like it. It was mainly because we were a nice group around Cav. With Michael, Mark, Ballerini, me and a few other guys, we had a unique goal. To see that release up close was special. It's very big for yourself, but that's also the case with another victory. From the outside, this was just so much bigger."

Bol also spoke about the lessons he learned from working alongside Cavendish. "Maybe you can learn something from that. Cav experiences the sport in a special way, different from the rest of the peloton. That is not as easy as it may seem or look from the outside. He is a great champion and that always involves pressure, also in the years when the sponsors counted on victories for him. To keep that up for so long takes some effort."