Dutch retiree will race Amstel Curaçao
Koos Moerenhout decided to retire at the end of the season and he went out with quite a bang. Before he will be joining the Rabobank team in a Public Relations role, he has one more chance to race. On November 6, Moerenhout will line up at the Amstel Curaçao race on the Netherlands Antilles.
“Yes, I will ride one more race,” Moerenhout says in an interview to Rabosport.nl. He was quite happy to be able to go. “This is really nice. It is a combination of vacation and riding a race.” At 90 kilometers, the Amstel Curaçao isn’t too long, either. “It is never a mistake to ride a competition under Caribbean ‘circumstances’,” Moerenhout says with a smile. “It is also nice to show the colors of Rabobank one more time.”
Moerenhout has thought less about his own retirement than others. “Time is just flying by,” he says, as the season draws to its close. He is also already immersing himself in the new role with the Rabobank management, spending some time with the cyclocross racers as well. “I really don’t have time to reflect back,” he says. “That will probably come in the dark winter months,” he adds with a smile.
Moerenhout announced his retirement during the Tour de France, with many people wishing him good luck for the future. “Such a reaction was nice to see,” he says. He didn’t just fizzle out his career. “When I decided to retire I put all my eggs in one basket and when things go right it is very nice.” He capped the season with an outstanding ride at the World Championships road race in Australia, where he finished 13th.
He didn’t want to end half-heartedly and later have doubts that maybe he could have given more. “That gave me the feeling to end my career in a very nice way. That the people appreciate that means a lot to me as a racer as well as a human being.”
He is not yet sure what his new role with the team will be exactly. “The next few months will show what I will have to do,” he says. “But I can say that I am very happy about the opportunity that I was given from the Rabobank team.” He will be now on the other side, a bit unsure what to expect. “I will have to learn a lot. I do know that I will have a role as a communications manager, for Rabobank [the Bank] as well as for the team,” Moerenhout confirms.
Moerenhout added that the cyclist’s life is really a a great one, as long as one stays injury-free. He enjoys still being part of it. “I will begin this with a lot of enthusiasm. Bring it on.”