"The fact that the team does not have confidence in me is disappointing" - Bauke Mollema on Tour de France non-selection

Once again, Bauke Mollema won't add to his 12 Tour de France participations, as ambitious Lidl-Trek heads for Grand Départ without the Dutch all-rounder, aiming for success with their sprinter Mads Pedersen.

This is the second year in a row for the now 37-year-old Mollema that he wasn't selected for the Tour de France. Did he see it coming too? "After I got sick at the Tour de Suisse and had to drop out, I could already see the mood brewing. The fact that the team does not have confidence in me is disappointing, I am honest. I have trained really hard for it in recent weeks," he tells De Telegraaf.

"I even went on an altitude internship on the Sierra Nevada again two weeks ago. My values ​​are better than ever. Now the team is built more around our sprinter Mads Pedersen. Still, after Tao dropped out - no matter how annoying it is for him - I thought I would get his place."

Mollema is absolutely disappointed that he is once again not participating at the Tour, also because the years are starting to count. "Do you know what it is? Initially I had not expected to ride the Tour de France in the winter. Our team has become so much stronger across the board that my chances of participating were not great. Until I suddenly rode very well in the hill classics and Itzulia Basque Country and there was another chance."

"Then I started to believe in it again, but unfortunately I won't travel to Italy. That is extra sad because this may have been my last chance to ride the Tour due to the increasingly strong competition. The motivation is gone for a while, yes. I don't get motivated by riding the Tour of Wallonie or Burgos. And I may not start at the Vuelta a Espana either."

The experienced climber is now going on holiday with his family, but Mollema is not giving up. "This is a snapshot. Disappointments are part of top-level sport and this year in particular I noticed that I was making progress. I have a new trainer and that is having an effect. The fact that I am not allowed to ride the Tour is annoying and causes the motivation to disappear for a while, but it will come back."