🎥 A mix of laughter and tears for Tour de Tietema following Amstel Gold Race: "The last time up the Cauberg was lights out for me"

In the Amstel Gold Race, a true David-against-Goliath scenario unfolded for Tour de Tietema-Unibet - also known as TDT-Unibet Pro Cycling Team. This Sunday, the Dutch team competed in their very first WorldTour race in Limburg, the Netherlands, and they certainly made their presence felt. IDLProCycling.com was there to witness it!

The 'underdog against a much stronger opponent' narrative started right from the beginning. British rider Zeb Kyffin managed to join the breakaway of the day, which was caught with 75 kilometers to go. Among the favorites, Jelle Johannink held on until twenty kilometers from the finish, placing 55th, three minutes behind winner Tom Pidcock. "This was the first time I raced over 230 kilometers," Johannink shared with NOS right after the race. "And I just didn’t have the legs today, which is unfortunate. But I was in a good position. Two years ago, I was still a club rider. This is a different ball game."

Johannink struggled on final climb up the Cauberg, but is proud as a peacock of TDT-Unibet's performance

Later, the 27-year-old Dutchman also spoke to our website. "It was really amazing. Everywhere you rode, there was tremendous support from the sidelines. There were a lot of familiar faces. It’s fantastic, truly a dream. This was our first WorldTour race, so that was special in itself. Especially to still be in contention at the end. The last time up the Cauberg was just a bit too much. That was lights out for me. Unfortunately, I just missed that final push to really break through that wall. But I got everything I could out of it."

Johannink's ambition is evident, and he likely speaks for the entire team. "It would be great if we could participate in more major races next year, like the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. The ultimate dream is the Tour de France, which would be amazing. And we’re going to work hard for that. I myself also dream big," he refers to the team’s motto. "Like I said, two years ago I was still riding criteriums among amateurs. It’s a major victory to see where I am today."

According to Johannink, Bas Tietema has significant impact on team performance

Earlier that week - before the Flèche Brabançonne - we also spoke with TDT member Hartthijs de Vries, who was off to a strong start to the season for the team that now holds a ProTour license. "Bas really pays attention to detail. He likes to have everything under control, which is of course a great thing," De Vries said when describing the management style of sports director and founder Bas Tietema. Johannink agreed, "Bas is hugely enthusiastic. He gives the guys a lot of confidence. In that regard, he’s really passionate. He prepares everything very well and is definitely a major influence on our performances."

Czech Tomas Kopecky then finished seven minutes behind, number 116. "It was a bit of a relief," he said in a mini-documentary by the Dutch Broadcasting Corporation. "Not because of disappointment, just because of everything combined. It’s super beautiful to climb the hills and see everyone cheering. After 220 kilometers, my lights went out, but I am super proud of what we have done. We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. On the morning of the Amstel Gold Race, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach, and they only got worse from there. At the Geulhemmerberg, thousands of fans, friends and family members were there cheering for us."

Continue reading below the tweet!

Bas Tietema sees his team make huge strides... and literally got a wheel from Intermarché-Wanty

"If you look at it in terms of budgets, we are in the little leagues, but in terms of fanbase, we can compete with the biggest teams," Bas Tietema says of his team, which he officially set up at the end of 2022 and has since garnered fans from all over the world. "The fact that they come from so far, like from Brazil, for example, doesn’t happen very often," he says with a laugh. "Usually, they come from the Netherlands, Flanders or elsewhere in Europe. This is by far the biggest race we've ridden so far. We're making huge strides."

Former rider and TDT-Unibet team manager Rob Harmeling devised a plan to ensure his riders would animate the race. "Every one of our riders knows exactly what to do in which part of the race. After the race, we want people to say that we participated in a beautiful, entertaining way. For that, you need to ensure you are up there. When the big guys attack, we can't keep up. But we want to show ourselves," he said before the race around Valkenburg.

Finally, we'd like to share an interesting message from Bas Tietema. Apparently, the team manager from Zwolle in the Netherlands had a flat tire (or a similar mishap). Not with his bike, but with his follow car. The people from Intermarché-Wanty helped him out, he indicates in his tweet. "A huge thanks goes out to Intermarché-Wanty for literally handing off a wheel, otherwise this team manager would have had a DNF behind his name in the Amstel Gold Race!" wrote Tietema.