Eighth and second titles respectively; Mathieu van der Poel recognised as best new talent
Marianne Vos (Rabobank-Liv/Giant) and Bauke Mollema (Belkin) have been elected wielrenster and wielrenner van het jaar – riders of the year – in the Netherlands, with both receiving their trophy in the city of s-Hertogenbosch this evening. This was the second time that Mollema has taken the prize, having first won it in 2011, while Vos has now taken the women’t title for an incredible eight years straight.
Junior World road and cyclocross champion Mathieu van der Poel (IKO Enertherm-BKCP), the son of former World cyclocross champion Adrie, was recognised as the outstanding young talent of the year, having already begun dominating beloften cyclocross after stepping up to the under-23s this season.
Vos defeated next season teammate Anna van der Breggen (Sengers Ladies) and World individual and team time trial champion Ellen van Dijk (Specialized-lululemon) to take the Keetie van Oosten-Hage Trophy, in a vote that she conceded must have been very close.
“The competition was very strong,” Vos said. “Ellen van Dijk especially has had a very strong season. Twice gold at the World Championships on the road.”
Partly thanks to her electing to ride her first mountainbike races this season, which saw her miss a number of road races as well as divert her training away from climbing, Vos lost her World number one spot on the road in 2013 to Emma Johansson (Orica-AIS). The 26-year-old Dutchwoman retained her World titles, both on the road and in cyclocross, however, and dominated the road World Cup for a record fifth time.
A best-ever season to date for Mollema was enough to bag him the Gerrit Schulte Trophy for the second time, which saw him the best-ranked Dutchman in 2013 by far. The rider from Groningen, who was celebrating his 27th birthday as he collected his award, finished sixth in the Tour de France, having already taken second in the Tour de Suisse. He finished the season with a stage victory at the Vuelta a España, and eleventh place in the World championships.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” Mollema told de Telegraaf. “It’s great to win this award; a very nice reward for a great season.”