Bauke Mollema 'missed 20 watts, so quite a bit' at the National Time Trial Championships: is the door to the Tour still ajar?

There was a festive atmosphere around the Lidl-Trek team bus afterwards, where Daan Hoole (elite men) and Shirin van Anrooij (women's under-23) both clinched national titles. Unfortunately, Mollema did not share in the joy, as he had to acknowledge that he never really got going during his time trial in West Brabant.

"I just didn't have enough power," was the simple conclusion Mollema drew afterwards. "Technically and dynamically I rode well, but I was missing about 20 watts compared to what I have been doing in recent years and what I had expected. That means you're really missing quite a bit."

The illness he contracted in Switzerland certainly didn't help. "It's hard to say. I was unable to do much for a few days, but I was able to train well again after the weekend. It was really disappointing to get sick. In Switzerland, I really wanted to show something, but that totally didn't work out. I rode well in Gippingen and the prologue, and that effort isn’t completely lost, but still."

Lidl-Trek is dealing with coronavirus infections (Giulio Ciccone and Tao Geoghegan Hart) and crashes (the entire sprint train of Mads Pedersen in the Dauphiné), which certainly puts them in a tough spot. Does this open up opportunities for Mollema heading to the Tour? "I don't know yet. I'm focusing on the Nationals first, and then we'll see," he answered diplomatically. His team will announce the final Tour selection later this week.

Back to the Nationals: two years ago, he won the national championship near Wildlands in Emmen, ahead of Tom Dumoulin and Hoole. "After that, I also rode a good time trial in the Tour de France. Last year's Nationals weren't too bad either, but this time it was seriously worse. The day in Emmen was indeed a better day for me, that's true. But it was also shorter and faster there, which perhaps suits me better."

"I'm just not as good a time trialist as, for example, Daan, who is really a specialist. If I have a really good day, I can handle such a time trial, but that just wasn't the case this time," said the realistic Groninger, who lives in Monaco and will also compete in the National Road Championships in Gelderland’s Arnhem this coming Sunday.

"It's a crazy race, but it always is. I think it's a fun circuit, but I'll be scouting the course over the next few days," Mollema shared. "It will probably be a matter of breaking away with a group, right?" he finally revealed a (logical) part of his tactical plan. At the Nationals, Lidl-Trek will start with Mollema, Hoole, Sam Oomen, and the cyclocross riders from Baloise Trek Lions.