Just when everyone had written him off, Bauke Mollema delivers again: "Del Toro could've been my son"

Mollema is one of the most successful Dutch cyclists, but in recent years, he has largely been forgotten. A few years ago, he played a starring role at Lidl-Trek as team leader in one-day races and a free role in major tours. That changed with the emergence of Lidl as a sponsor, the addition of more big names to the team, and Mollema's legs, which were not quite up to the task.

The last time we saw Mollema at the front was in 2022. He started the year well in French stage races, scoring four top ten finishes in the Giro d'Italia, becoming Dutch time trial champion, and competing in the Tour de France. He then finished fourth in the Clasica San Sebastián and ended his year in seventh place in the Tour of Lombardy. In May 2022, he signed a four-year contract extension.

Mollema still had big plans for the years to come, but unfortunately, they never materialized. After the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in 2023, he did not ride any more Grand Tours. In 2024, he still finished seventh in the Amstel Gold Race and sixth in the GP Québec, but this year he was no longer selected for the Ardennes classics. The World Championships in Rwanda became his big goal.

After a strong Tour of Britain, in which Mollema promptly finished eighth, he finished the World Championship road race in 21st place. He took those strong legs with him to Italy, where Mollema rode the Gran Piemonte on Thursday and finished on the podium for the first time since 2022. “It feels so good to be back on the podium after such a long time,” said the Dutchman after the race.

According to Mollema, Del Toro was too strong, but he was still able to keep up with the Mexican from UAE Emirates-XRG for a while. “It was great to be there in the final, and although I was close, I think we got the most out of it. Del Toro could have been my son. It's bizarre how good these young guys are,” he laughed out loud at Cycling Pro Net.

"I knew I was in good shape, actually, since the Tour of Britain. The World Championships were my goal, and I wasn't satisfied with my performance in Rwanda,“ he said harshly to himself. ”Last week, I felt that all the work I did in August and September made something possible for the Italian races that were still to come. I'm happy with this result, and on Saturday in Lombardy, there will be another chance."

Like Mollema, we also saw a strong Hirschi in Gran Piemonte. And it had been a while for the 27-year-old Swiss rider from Tudor. “I'm happy with second place. The only way to beat Del Toro was to be in the breakaway, to wear down his team. We did that with Matteo Trentin, before we wanted to get away, before Del Toro would go.”

Mollema and Hirschi made a good effort, but Del Toro rode convincingly towards the pair. “We knew that with his form, it would be difficult to follow him on the final climb. We did it perfectly, but he was still too strong. The Tour of Lombardy will be a different race on Saturday, with longer climbs. My form is improving and I'm hoping for a top ten finish.”