Picnic PostNL lets hardworking Tusveld go: "It's becoming clear that I won’t find another team"
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Follow us on GoogleCycling can be a harsh sport. You give everything for your team, help your teammates achieve victories, only to be told there’s no longer room for you on the roster. That’s what happened to Martijn Tusveld last autumn. Team DSM-firmenich PostNL, now Picnic PostNL, decided they no longer saw a future with the 31-year-old Dutchman. Unable to find a new team since, Tusveld seems to be facing a tough decision about his career.
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"The new season is already underway, and it’s becoming more and more clear that I won’t be joining a team anymore," Tusveld shared on Instagram. "After a good year with DSM, I didn’t get a contract renewal, and unfortunately, no other team offered me a spot. It’s tough to accept, especially since I felt I’d made big steps last year — learning a lot about positioning leaders and helping in lead-outs. Sadly, the team didn’t see a future for me." Despite Picnic PostNL’s increased budget, there was no room for Tusveld on the roster.
Other teams also passed on signing the versatile rider. "The last few months have been hard. There were always talks with other teams, so I kept hoping for something to work out. In the end, I think I was just unlucky. My final race was Il Lombardia, and I saw some riders saying goodbye to the peloton that day. Honestly, I was jealous — they got to choose their moment to stop. By that time, I didn’t have a contract and knew it might be my last race. But during the race — which ended up being the highest average power I’ve ever done for such a long race — I just kept thinking: there’s no way this is my last one."
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Tusveld rode a total of eight Grand Tours for dsm-firmenich PostNL
A painful farewell in Lombardy: "Knew it was my last race"
However, right now, it seems that race might have been just that. After seven years with the Dutch team, Tusveld's WorldTour fairytale seems to be over. "If I could turn back time, I would’ve invited all my friends and family to celebrate that race as my final WorldTour event. Unfortunately, I didn’t get that chance, and all I’m left with after last season is a bit of a bitter aftertaste."
"Still, I’m incredibly thankful for the past years," he said, remaining positive. "It’s not easy to make it as a pro when you’re not the biggest talent in the world. But thanks to the teams and organizations I was a part of, I got the chance to live my dream." Tusveld began his journey in 2012 with the continental Rabobank Development Team. Although he didn’t make it to Rabobank’s elite squad, he eventually found his way to Team Sunweb via Roompot, building a solid career along the way.
While the future remains uncertain, Tusveld seems to be taking a step back to reevaluate. "For now, I’ll focus on finishing my psychology degree. I need some time to figure out whether I want to keep racing on a lower level this year. But one thing’s for sure — I’ll be back to cycling one day."
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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