Molengraaf gets fans excited for new YouTube videos with Pieterse: "Great things are coming"

"I'm not very happy with this result, as I made quite a few mistakes. I can definitely do better," reflected the just 18-year-old rider of Circus-ReUz-Technord. During the race in Rucphen, she finished about three-quarters of a minute behind the Flemish winner. "It wasn't even necessarily that I was focused on getting a certain result, but more that I wanted to put in a good race. When you make so many mistakes, in my opinion, you haven't really raced well. You try to continue, but you start going from one mistake to the next. And then you end up in a kind of negative, endless spiral."

According to Molengraaf - who finished fifth at the U23 European Championships in November - the somewhat disappointing result in North Brabant is not her first letdown of the year. "Here in Rucphen, it was really crappy, but overall, I do see some positives. It's not that this is the first disappointment of the season. I've had a few already. Looking back, I try to focus on the good points and draw motivation from those in order to improve as much as possible on the lesser aspects. Things will definitely get better," she says with optimism, but she then adds some self-critical notes. "I always want to do well as soon as possible. When it doesn't work out, I get angry at myself. That last part is actually good in a way, as it shows I'm motivated."

"So far, it hasn't gone the way I wanted," is her season-to-date assessment. "Things aren't really going smoothly, especially when I compare it to last year. I had a stellar winter last year. But even apart from that: physically, I've had some issues and things just aren't going well. So for me, the important thing is to keep doing my best, because I will eventually break through. And of course, it's not that bad."

Molengraaf was set to travel to France the day after the cyclo-cross in Rucphen, for the team presentation of her new employer FDJ-SUEZ (the women's team of Groupama-FDJ). You read that right: the youngster is also rapidly finding her way to the highest level in road cycling. In 2024, Molengraaf - who can rightly be called a jack-of-all-trades (more on that later) - will therefore represent the colors of three different teams: FDJ-SUEZ on the road, Lapierre-Mavic on the mountain bike and Circus-ReUz-Technord in the field.

In short, Molengraaf is a busy bee. The Dutch rider agrees. "Last year, I had a super busy road and mountain bike season. I also rode the Cycling European Championships, but after that, I didn't rest. So, I am definitely in need of a break in early February. Maybe that busy schedule from last season is an explanation for my lesser form at the moment. That's another learning moment. You only get smarter from those types of experiences."

However, this potential overexertion does not deter Molengraaf from slowing down in the coming year. "I am really looking forward to taking that step to road racing and learning all kinds of new things. I am very excited to develop myself as a cyclist. I also want to remain very active on the mountain bike and make significant strides in that respect. So, I definitely need to be careful not to take on too much. It's up to me and the people around me to come up with a good plan for the coming year. On the other hand, I am convinced that it is possible to combine these disciplines. If I work in blocks, it should be feasible."

Learning, learning, learning. That seems to be the motto for 2024, although Molengraaf is the type of rider who always - consciously or unconsciously - appears at the starting line of a race with seriously high ambitions. "I don't have a precise plan yet regarding the races for next year, but I am someone who always sets the bar high and starts with serious goals. I haven't thought about specific results yet. Of course, it will also be my first year at the WorldTour level. I have plenty of time to improve myself step by step. In cyclo-cross, over a short period of time I have competed in the junior, U23 and elite categories. On the road, however, that transition will be much harder. I am definitely in the right team to learn a lot. And I will certainly do that. For example, you can learn so much from the experienced ladies during training camps."

When will we see Molengraaf back in action in cyclo-cross? She gave yours truly a very specific answer to that question. "I will return to the field in Antwerp on December 23. After that, I have a fairly busy Christmas period, although I must say that I won't be riding that many cyclo-cross races over the entire length of the season. After Antwerp, I have Heusden-Zolder (December 27, ed.) and Loenhout (December 29, ed.) on my schedule, followed by the World Cup in Hulst (December 30, ed.). I will do more cyclo-cross races in 2024. It will mainly be about the World Cup races, including the one in Benidorm (January 21, ed.). I will also participate in the Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships (January 14, ed.). The Cyclo-Cross World Championships will then be my very last cyclo-cross race of the season, after which I will truly get some rest."

The fact that we will see Molengraaf in action in the field several more times also means that she will be able to cyclo-cross a number of times with her best friend: Pieterse, the lady who also provided her with strong support after the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hoogerheide. In fact, the two young riders, who regularly make YouTube videos together, will also start seeing each other more often on the road. "For Puck, the mountain bike race at the Olympic Games is of course the big goal for 2024. It's up to her to reveal her exact schedule, but I think she will participate in some nice road races," says the younger of the two.

"I do expect that a number of nice videos will come out of it," she then tells us when we ask about their friendship. "Especially mountain bike-related ones. It's not that we train together very often, mainly because we don't live very close to each other. But the cyclo-cross and mountain bike world is kind of like a family, and then you run into each other much more often. For example, in cyclo-cross, we often explore the course together a day before the race. And we can then make a fun video of that too."