ZLM Tour: Yentl Vandevelde gives TdT-Unibet their first win from breakaway

GC leaders badly mis-times chase but Eekhoff retains lead

Yentl Vandevelde on the podium after winning stage 1 of the 2023 ZLM Tour

Yentl Vandevelde handed the new Tour de Tietema-Unibet squad their first major victory with a brilliant effort from the day's breakaway.

The peloton containing race leader Nils Eekhoff (Team DSM) had the remnants of the breakaway in their sights in the final kilometre but timed it all wrong and could not catch the 22-year-old Vandevelde.

"It's unbelievable - I never expected this," Vandevelde said after a lengthy and emotional celebration with his teammates. "It's nice to come here and catch a big fish. I don't have any more tears!

"When I heard we had one minute with 10km to go, I knew we had a chance," he said. "I've never won any races in my career and now I win a pro race on a high level, it's unbelievable. I didn't expect it - I had really good legs but normally it always is a bunch sprint. I've tried so many times to jump in the breakaway and stay to the finish line - and I thought it would be the same story."

Alexander Konychev (Corratec-Selle Italia) and Bert-Jan Lindeman (VolkerWessels) also held off the chasing bunch to finish second and third on the stage, respectively.

The riders were part of a day-long escape on the 202.5 kilometre stage from Westkapelle to 's-Heerenhoek, having clipped off the front in the first 20 kilometres.

Together with Emiel Vermeulen (BEAT), Aaron Van Poucke (Flanders Baloise), Thijs de Lange (Metec-Solarwatt p/b Mantel) and Martijn Rasenberg (ABLOC), it was David vs. Goliath as the seven riders built a maximum lead of nearly four minutes before the WorldTeams got to work trying to reel them in.

In the end, five of the seven stayed away with Lange and Van Poucke unlucky in their efforts. Sam Welsford (Team DSM) led the peloton to the line close enough to the stage winner to keep teammate Nils Eekhoff in the race lead.

More to come.

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Laura Weislo

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura's specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.

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Voor het eerst in zijn profcarrière mag Yentl Vandevelde het zegegebaar maken.

ZLM Tour   klassement

zlm tour tour de tietema

Belg Yentl Vandevelde laat Tour de Tietema-Unibet juichen in ZLM Tour met 1e profzege

Yentl Vandevelde heeft donderdag de 1e rit in lijn in de ZLM Tour gewonnen. De jonge Belg van Tour de Tietema-Unibet bleef in 's-Heerenhoek net uit de klauwen van het jagende peloton. Voor de 22-jarige Vandevelde is het zijn eerste profzege en ook voor zijn nog jonge team is het de 1e overwinning op UCI-niveau.

Een dag na de proloog, waarin de Nederlander Nils Eekhoff de eerste leiderstrui veroverd had, kreeg het peloton in de ZLM Tour een etappe van 203 kilometer voor de kiezen tussen (het Nederlandse) Westkapelle en 's-Heerenhoek.

Een groepje van 8 renners tekende voor de vlucht van de dag, met daarbij ook de Belgen Yentl Vandevelde, Aaron Van Poucke en Emiel Vermeulen.

De 8 reden een maximale voorsprong van zo'n 4 minuten bij elkaar en dat bleek zowaar voldoende, want de sprintersploegen misrekenden zich en kwamen net te laat in de finale. Voorin had Vandevelde na een slopende ontsnapping nog de meeste jus in de benen. De jonge Belg wachtte de sprint niet af en ging op het perfecte moment aan, op dik 2 kilometer van de streep. Zijn voormalige vluchtgezellen kregen het gat niet meer gedicht.

Vandevelde knalde overtuigend naar zijn allereerste profoverwinning. Ook voor zijn team Tour de Tietema-Unibet is het de 1e zege op UCI-niveau. De Nederlander Eekhoff behoudt de leiderstrui.

Vandevelde: "Vanuit het niets een dikke zege"

"Ik kan het nog altijd niet geloven dat ik won", reageerde Yentl Vandevelde na de finish. "Ik probeerde op 2,5 kilometer van de eindstreep iets en dat bleek de goede zet."

"Ik zette alles op alles met een slotaanval omdat ik wist dat het peloton heel fel naderde en we toch wel zouden opgeslokt worden. Daarom mijn poging. En die droeg tot op de streep."

"Ik win niet veel koersen. Als ik dan eens zegevier, is dat in kleinere wedstrijden. Maar een rit in de ZLM Tour waar toch wel enkele fikse kleppers zitten is me wat toch. Dit is een Pro-koers", straalde de Belg.

"Iedereen verwachtte dat het peloton ons nog wel zou opslokken. Maar wij hadden allen nog wat extra in de tank over en in de slotronde trokken wij weer fel door."

"En dan kwam mijn aanval. Ik schrijf een beetje geschiedenis. Niet enkel voor de ploeg, maar ook voor mezelf. De eerste zege in de Pro-Tour voor TDT-Unibet en voor mezelf."

"Je droomt er vaak van een dergelijke koers te winnen. Vandaag komt deze droom uit. Ik heb me al vaak weggecijferd voor onze rappe mannen. Bovendien kende ik een pak pech dit seizoen. Het geluk stond niet aan mijn zijde. Tot vandaag. Vanuit het niets een dikke zege."

Uitslag Rit 2

ZLM Tour

Sterk bezette ZLM Tour onthult etappeschema

De ZLM Tour, die wordt verreden van 5 tot en met 9 juni, start dit jaar met een individuele tijdrit over 13 kilometer in het Zeeuwse Westkapelle (gemeente Veere). Al vijf teams uit de WorldTour hebben hun deelname aan Nederlands belangrijkste meerdaagse etappewedstrijd voor profs toegezegd.

Westkapelle is eerder in 2017 de startplaats geweest van de ZLM Tour. Destijds toonde Primoz Roglic zich de sterkste in de individuele tijdrit in het Zeeuwse dorp. Een dag later trekt het peloton opnieuw door Zeeland. Die dag start de etappe in Middelburg en wordt er gefinisht in Wissenkerke, gemeente Noord-Beveland. Wanneer de wind een beetje meewerkt, belooft dit een loodzware rit met waaiers te worden. De finale van deze etappe voert de renners bovendien meerdere keren over de kasseistrook van Geersdijk, die vroeger ook altijd opgenomen was in het parkoers van de Ronde van Noord-Beveland.

In ere hersteld ‘We zijn trots dat de tweede etappe van de ZLM Tour finisht in Wissenkerke’, zegt wethouder Stephan van Belzen van de gemeente Noord-Beveland. ‘Dit is een thuiswedstrijd voor de gebroeders Van Dijke en ook wordt de oude ronde van Noord-Beveland hiermee in ere hersteld. Daarnaast gaan we op deze dag laten zien waarom Noord-Beveland tot de beste fietsgemeenten van Nederland behoort en worden er deze dag allerlei activiteiten gehouden bij de finish. Alle ingrediënten voor een mooie wielerdag zijn dus aanwezig.’

Sterk deelnemersveld Inmiddels zijn ook de namen van de eerste deelnemende teams bekend. WorldTour teams Visma-Lease a Bike, dsm-firmenich PostNL, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Astana en Intermarché- Wanty zijn al ingeschreven.

Verder zijn ook de Pro-Continentale teams Tour de Tietema, Flanders-Baloise, Bingoal, Burgos, Bardiani, Tüdor, Corratec en Polti-Kometa van de partij. Daarmee ontvangt de ZLM Tour in 2024 ten minste vijf WorldTour teams en in totaal dertien profteams aan de start. Startende renners zijn door de ploegen nog niet vrij gegeven, maar de organisatie verwacht van elke ploeg zeker weer een snelle sprinter, zoals Olav Kooij (Visma), Mark Cavendish en/of Cees Bol (Astana), Fabio Jakobsen of Casper van Uden (dsm), Jasper Philipsen of Kaden Groves (Alpecin) en Gerben Thijssen en oud-winnaar Mike Teunissen van Intermarché.

Het rennersveld wordt aangevuld met een aantal sterke binnen- en buitenlandse continentale formaties, waardoor ook diverse Nederlandse talentvolle jonge renners aan de start komen.

Betrokken bij de koers ‘Het is mooi en goed dat er weer twee etappes van de ZLM Tour in Zeeland worden verreden’, zegt de Zeeuwse gedeputeerde Jo-Annes de Bat. ‘De tweede etappe start voor ons als provincie Zeeland bovendien in eigen huis, op het Damplein in Middelburg, nabij het Provinciehuis. Daarmee willen we graag onze betrokkenheid bij de ZLM Tour laten zien. Ook willen we graag dat steeds andere Zeeuwse gemeenten betrokken zijn bij de koers. Daarom is het goed dat de tweede rit finisht op Noord-Beveland.’

Brabant en Limburg Na de twee etappes in Zeeland, gaat de ZLM Tour verder in Brabant en Limburg. Op vrijdag start de derde etappe in Schijndel en rijdt het peloton naar het Limburgse Buchten. In het weekend trekken de renners door West-Brabant, met op zaterdag start en finish in Roosendaal en zondag in Oosterhout. Vorig jaar ging de etappezege in Roosendaal naar Arvid de Kleijn, terwijl in Oosterhout Olav Kooij naar de zege sprintte en de winst in het eindklassement veilig stelde. Beide coureurs wonnen deze week een etappe in Parijs-Nice.

Het complete etappeschema van de ZLM Tour 2024 ziet er als volgt uit: 5 juni      Tijdrit Westkapelle 6 juni      Etappe Middelburg – Wissenkerke 7 juni      Etappe Schijndel – Buchten 8 juni      Etappe Roosendaal – Roosendaal 9 juni       Etappe Oosterhout – Oosterhout

Organisatie De ZLM Tour is met ZLM Verzekeringen nog voor minimaal de komende twee edities verzekerd van haar hoofdsponsor.

Achter de schermen vindt binnen de organisatie van Libéma Profcycling momenteel een wisseling van de wacht plaats. Rens Kamphuis, ook al organisator van het recente succesvolle EK Baanwielrennen in Omnisport Apeldoorn, neemt de rol als wedstrijdorganisator over van Joost van Wijngaarden. Van Wijngaarden start per 1 april bij de KNWU als Manager Wedstrijdsport.

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‘The ultimate goal is the Tour de France’ - How Tour de Tietema went from YouTube pranks to pro ranks

TDT-Unibet are on a mission to reach the top of the sport, and they're having fun along the way

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TDT-Unibet riders at the Tour of Britain

Tour de Tietema-Unibet may not have won any stages at this year’s Tour of Britain , but they have won hearts. 

The Dutch Continental team, classified in cycling’s third tier, has been omnipresent at the race, the squad's sky blue jersey a constant in breakaways. 

For a team in its first year, exposure is key. In fact, so keen are the riders to be on show, that they’ve won four of the seven combativity awards so far by public vote. 

The prize, the team’s owner Bas Tietema admits, is a popularity contest. And TDT-Unibet are winning. 

“We have not been the most combative rider in each of those stages,” Tietema laughs as he speaks to Cycling Weekly on a still summer’s morning in Southend-on-Sea. “But what you can see is that we have actual fans. It’s not just TV spectators, we have actual fans who want us to win the prize.” 

It’s hard to believe that, up until last year, Tietema was just a YouTuber . Together with his friends Josse Wesster and Devin van der Wiel, he would follow the Tour de France each July, filming challenges with riders and posting tightly-cut videos to his 170,000 subscribers. 

“We started at the Tour de France in 2019, just making silly challenges, like wheelie contests and handing out pizzas,” he explains. “Right now, we’re a Continental team that’s pretty competitive, and next year we’re stepping up to Pro Conti."

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On their YouTube page, TDT-Unibet describe themselves as a "Sunday-league team with WorldTour stature". This is clear on the seafront in Southend, where the riders laugh and joke ahead of stage six, surrounded by colourfully-wrapped Škodas and a high-tech camper. 

The idea to build a squad, Tietema says, came about a few years ago. 

“The first time I told [Wesster] about it was 2020, I guess,” he says. Poised beside him with a camera, Wesster quickly interjects. “Back then it was a really stupid idea,” he smiles. 

For Tietema, though, it was never a joke. “I really believed that from creating a YouTube channel, you get fans and you get people who follow your agenda. Setting up a professional cycling team with fans is way better, in my opinion, than just starting a team and hoping that you get fans by good results. I thought it could be a really nice, smooth transition.”

Already, the YouTube channel had sponsors. Big ones, too, like Shimano , Garmin , Cannondale and Škoda. The challenge came in finding riders, and more crucially, convincing them that the guys who do “silly” YouTube videos were serious about racing.

Harry Tanfield signs on in Sherwood Forest, ahead of stage four of the Tour of Britain. 

One of those who came on board was 28-year-old former WorldTour rider Harry Tanfield, who was searching for a new team after Ribble Weldtite folded last year.

“It’s quite hard when you’ve got established teams and then Bas’s,” the Brit says. “I was like, ‘What’s happening here?’ but in the end, I just went with it. And it’s good fun. I don’t regret it at all."

Having previously ridden for AG2R and Katusha-Alpecin, Tanfield feels like he has been "around the block" in the pro scene. His current team, he says, brings "a different perspective on racing". 

"You may have seen from the social media side of things and content wise," Tanfield smiles. "It's really engaging for us." 

At the Tour of Britain, TDT-Unibet’s social media team have played a blinder . Alongside their campaigns to rule over the combativity award, they’ve created endless memes, photoshopping Tanfield’s face onto Thomas the Tank Engine, and producing a Britain’s Got Talent-inspired video. 

The #TourofBritain so far: pic.twitter.com/Vi2XkLl92z September 8, 2023

“We have almost more media employees than [rider] staff,” Tietema explains. “That’s the core. We need to have them. It also makes, from the start, the costs higher than maybe some other Continental teams. But we needed to make that investment.” 

The results, too, are coming. In June, the team took their first victory with a stage win at the ZLM Tour in the Netherlands, beating a field that included sprint legend Mark Cavendish . At the Tour of Britain, their sprinter Davide Bomboi, second cousin of Tom Boonen , has scored five top 10s, brushing shoulders with WorldTour stars. 

Davide Bomboi cools down in Felixstowe. 

When the 23-year-old signed for the team, he saw an opportunity to prove himself. “In this period last year, I didn’t have a contract,” Bomboi says. “I was aiming for a professional contract, but no team came. Then Bas came with this project, and I thought it was a great chance for me.

“With everything that comes with it, the content team and how we do everything with the videos and stuff, it’s just fucking nice. We have a really nice look and feel, I think, but there’s also a real plan behind it. We’re not just here with the colourful bikes .” 

The plan going forwards, Tietema reveals, is ambitious. Next season, TDT-Unibet will be a Pro Continental team, racing in the tier below the sport’s highest level, the WorldTour. Already, they’ve been flirting with race organisers for invites to some of the biggest events. 

“My ultimate goal is to bring the team to the Tour de France,” Tietema says, matter of factly. “Then we’ll have the journey that we started at the Tour de France with our own tents, to having a team on the Champs-Élysées.

“We have milestones along that road. Next year, we want to do our first WorldTour race, then a Monument, then the first Grand Tour. It’s quite crazy, and it’s far, but it’s also in reach. The last year it was more like a crazy, stupid idea to even think about it, but it’s getting more realistic.” 

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Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast , which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders. 

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. 

He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. 

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Sprint | buchten (143 km), points at finish, youth day classification, team day classification, race information.

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  • Date: 09 June 2023
  • Start time: 12:38
  • Avg. speed winner: 44.945 km/h
  • Race category: ME - Men Elite
  • Distance: 184.1 km
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  • Vert. meters: 336
  • Departure: Schijndel
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  • Won how: Sprint of large group
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zlm tour tour de tietema

Tietema draws a full house with Tour de France dream: "Capitalizing on a gap in the cycling world"

Tour de Tietema has been gaining momentum for years. What started as a group of headstrong YouTubers has evolved into a serious cycling team with the sincere ambition to compete in the Tour de France. A unique, forward-thinking team - with YouTube DNA coursing through its veins - is attempting to thrive in the conservative world of cycling. How can Bas Tietema ensure that the Tour de France extends an invitation to his team? IDLProCycling.com sought him out.

Over 1,800 people can fit into the AFAS Circustheater in Scheveningen, and almost the entire auditorium is occupied. However, it's not for a major musical like The Lion King or Disney's Aida, but for a film about cycling. The film being shown is a documentary about the first year of the cycling team TDT-Unibet. "It's actually exceptional that this auditorium is almost sold out," says team founder Tietema.

From YouTube to cycling team, but the story of Tour de Tietema remains the same

Actually, the term 'team founder' does not suffice when describing Tietema's position; TDT-Unibet did not start as a cycling team after all. In 2019, the Zwolle native launched the YouTube channel "Tour de Tietema." He went to the Tour de France to film challenges, with no accreditation, no overnight stay, and no concrete plan. He persuaded two people to join him: filmmakers Devin van der Wiel and Josse Wester.

The YouTube channel gained traction, and the trio accumulated more and more followers on the platform. New series were developed, and in 2022, Tietema, fully documented on YouTube, even managed to become a professional cyclist with Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB. As a pro, he failed to make a significant impact that year, leading to his departure from the team. This created space for a new project: his own Tour de Tietema cycling team, with Wester, Van der Wiel, and Tietema himself at the helm. Unibet came on board as the main sponsor, and TDT-Unibet was born. Meanwhile, the videos continued to enjoy immense popularity in cycling-loving Holland and Belgium.

"I think our videos could go twice as strong in the new year" Bas Tietema

Through the cycling team, Tour de Tietema has year-round content in 2023. Even videos about obscure races like the Battle of Woensdrecht and the Rutland-Melton Cicle Classic garner more than a hundred thousand views on YouTube. "Actually, this year we have only been able to participate in races that the cycling public doesn't typically follow," Tietema notes regarding the level of those races. "In 2024, we are stepping up to a higher level, and there is a chance that we will receive invitations to prominent races. I believe our videos can gain even more traction in the new year because we will be competing in more significant races."

Tietema remains ambitious, and rightfully so. After all, he aims to have his team participate in the 2026 Tour de France, the event where it all began for Tour de Tietema. "I dare to guarantee that people will come to major races especially for us because they have become fans through our content. I also strongly believe in our approach with content leading up to the major races, as it makes the sport more appealing to the general public. With that, I hope that we will eventually become attractive enough for the Tour de France."

TDT-Unibet to the Tour de France? "There is a gap in the system, and we could capitalize on that"

But obtaining such an invitation is no easy feat. The previous Dutch team that operated in the second division of cycling, Roompot, was never granted entry to Le Grande Boucle. "There are various ways in which invitations to professional races are distributed. The organizers of a cycling race have the liberty to invite a few teams of their choosing. The invitation can go to a team with a friendly owner, a team with a prominent name, or even a team with a locally renowned rider."

Tietema doesn't directly fit into any of those categories. "If we were to be invited, it would be for the excitement we bring. In a sense, there is a gap in that system because the selection process is far from logical from an athletic standpoint. We could capitalize on that because we have a unique story. However, it's not a given that organizations would readily embrace that. Additionally, we naturally aim to have the strongest possible team athletically."

Looking at TDT-Unibet's 2024 selection, we find three French talents. Is this a nod to the Tour organization? "No, not really. We didn't recruit individuals to enhance our chances of invitations. We solely considered what these individuals could achieve in the future and how they would fit within our team. Nationality played no role, although we primarily focused on Europe due to visa issues."

Read more below the photo .

No Yentl Vandevelde at TDT-Unibet in 2024

One notable absence from TDT-Unibet's 2024 roster is Yentl Vandevelde. The Flemish cyclist rode for the team in 2023 and secured a stage victory in the ZLM Tour. Despite this achievement, Vandevelde did not receive a contract extension. The rider speculated that the decision might not be solely based on athletic performance. "At TDT-Unibet, it's also about more than just racing, and I may not be able to market myself as effectively as other riders, but I do win races. I think it's a weak excuse to suggest that I can't handle the level."

Tietema clarifies that riders are not signed based on their appearance on camera. 'To provide an example: Joren Bloem (a rider on the team) doesn't even have a social media presence. It is by no means a requirement. We craft a narrative about the team, and riders play either main or supporting roles in it. If a rider can leverage that for their benefit, that's fantastic, but it's certainly not obligatory. For instance, one of our new riders, Cedrik Bakke Christophersen, has his own YouTube channel. We aim to support and facilitate it, but if a rider prefers not to engage, that's perfectly fine.

In Vandevelde's case, it wasn't a deciding factor either. "If Yentl felt that way, so be it. However, from our perspective, it's quite straightforward: how someone presents themselves on social media has zero impact on their progression within our team."

Tietema draws a full house with Tour de France dream: "Capitalizing on a gap in the cycling world"

CyclingUpToDate.com

Arvid de Kleijn sprints to victory on stage 3 of the ZLM Tour

Arvid de Kleijn has taken the victory on stage 3 of the 2023 ZLM Tour , rocketing his way to the win from a sprint finish in Roosendaal.

Just over 200 meters of climbing on this day, stage 3 of the ZLM Tour will feature a small cobbled section which will be the most noteworthy moment of the day. Another sprint is expected in Roosendaal.

VIDEO: Tour de Tietema go mad for Yentl Vandevelde's ZLM Tour stage win

After two of a three-man breakaway was successfully reeled in by the peloton, Jan-Willem van Schip continued to battle hard as a lone leader.

The chase behind was effected by a heavy crash with 16km to go as he stayed around 20 seconds in front.

With 5km to go he remained, dangling in front of the bunch but it seemed it was a done deal and with 2.5km left.

Attention then turned to the sprint finish. Into the final kilometre and it was Team DSM on the front.

Jakub Mareczko was the man to lead out the sprint but he was unable to make it back-to-back wins with Arvid de Kleijn prevailing.

Jakub Mareczko raises hands in stage 2 of ZLM Tour: "Buchten seems to be my lucky place"

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Tour de Tietema Unibet’s Bas Tietema Gets PEZ’d!

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Rider/Team Owner Interview There are many ways to become a professional cyclist, but Dutchman Bas Tietema must be unique in his path: Come up through the ranks, start a YouTube channel, get a contract with a Belgian Conti team, then start your own team. Ed Hood had to find out more.

Some teams have embraced ‘Social Media’ more – and better – than others; but it’s now universally accepted that it’s essential for teams to have a presence, ‘in the ether.’

GreenEDGE with their ‘Backstage Pass’ videos on You Tube understood early the value of social media and during the pandemic whilst many teams went into hibernation, Quick-Step produced interesting and fun videos about what their riders were up to.

But taking things one step further is, ‘You Tuber’ and Dutch professional cyclist, Bas Tietema whose ‘Tour de Tietema’ You Tube channel will have his own Continental team for 2023 with online gambling giant, Unibet as main sponsor – the company ‘blurb’ tells us: “Unibet provides a platform for sports betting, online casino, bingo and online poker to over 11 million customers in over 100 countries.” A major sponsor many larger teams would be happy to be associated with.

zlm tour tour de tietema

We caught up with Bas early in the New Year to hear his tale:

PEZ: Happy New Year, Bas – going back to the start, you were a promising junior rider. Bas Tietema: Yes, I was pretty decent and as a result I got the opportunity to join the BMC Development Team which was one of the best u23 teams around at that time.

tietema

PEZ: And you took third in the 2014 u23 Paris-Roubaix. Yes, the result I’m perhaps best known for and it was a quality field with Mike Teunissen winning, Stefan Kung 12th and Tiesj Benoot 15th.

tietema

PEZ: You were strong against the watch too with a podium in the Dutch iTT Championships. In that era you had guys like Mads Pedersen and Mathieu Van Der Poel on their way up and we were all pretty ‘complete’ riders – not climbers but we could all ride the cobbles and time trial pretty strongly.

tietema

PEZ: After BMC you went to AN Post. BMC stopped, they got tired of bringing guys up and then other teams coming along and getting the benefit of their development work. My management agency was Trinity who had good connections with AN Post so when BMC folded they organised me a ride.

tietema

PEZ: Then you went to BEAT Cycling. That was the last year of the first period of my professional career, I had issues with skin allergies and my motivation slipped; AN Post and BEAT were semi-pro teams and it was tough for me to figure out what I wanted to do next.

tietema

PEZ: Seasons 2019 to 2021 you weren’t on the bike but 2022 saw you back in the peloton with Bingoal Pauwels Sauces. I followed lots of sports when I wasn’t racing but I still loved the bike – and I had a big interest in Social Media. I thought to myself, ‘what can I do?’ and that was the start of things, I started to post videos from the Tour de France and we went from zero to getting 200,000/300,000 views. Bingoal was one of our sponsors on the channel; I was on the bike and going OK so they gave me an opportunity to ride for the team – but I had to reach a certain level in tests. It was a hard season, I went OK in the first race, which was the Tour of Antalaya but when there were cross winds or difficult parcours it was super tough.

tietema

PEZ: You have 150,000 plus subscribers on Tour de Tietema but Dutch is the language – have you considered an English language version? I haven’t checked the numbers recently but the English language question is a good one, albeit we now have English subtitles on our videos. We’re Dutch guys though so a lot of the humour is specific to that language. We’re going to continue to focus on the Dutch/Flemish market but we know there’s big potential in the UK, USA and Australia, however we don’t want to make too big a step too quickly.

PEZ: The team, how, why? It’s an ambition I’ve had for quite some time; to provide a unique inside story from a team which is riding some of the biggest races around – I want to see how far we can go with it. We’re a Media House so we’re not relying on external platforms – and it’s not just going to be purely about results for our sponsors.

PEZ: A couple of names which caught my eye in your line up are the Englishman Harry Tanfield and the Czech Tomas Kopecky. I remember Harry’s win in the 2018 Tour of Yorkshire but he’s been unlucky with Katusha and Qhubeka folding. I saw his name in the results this year here in The Netherlands and in Belgium, that took my interest and I spoke to our team coach, Hugo Haak we agreed that Harry would be an asset to the team – particularly in the Belgian and Dutch races where cross winds are a big factor and a strong guy like Harry comes into his own. Tomas is Czech but lives in The Netherlands and speaks Dutch, he had some very strong results at the end of 2022 with third in the u23 Paris-Tours the hi-lite.

PEZ: Because of your strong Social Media presence does that help with getting into races? It’s a combination, yes the Social Media is a factor but you also have to field a strong team, which I think we have. As well as the strong riders we have excellent staff in Hugo and Rob Harmeling and that’s also a factor. We’re confirmed in the UCi 2.1 Tour of Antalya in Turkey, the UCi 1.2 Craft Ster van Zwolle and UCi 2.2 Olympia’s Tour, both in the Netherlands and the UCi 2.Pro Tour of Belgium. But we’re also hoping for wild cards in races like the ZLM Tour and Tour of Britain.

unibet

PEZ: Unibet had a bad experience with cycling sponsorship, but you have them back in the sport. They’ve been looking to come back into the sport, but yes, they had a difficult experience back in 2007 when they were caught in the middle of a dispute between ASO and the UCi about teams sponsored by gambling companies. But now, with Lotto, F de J and Circus all in the peloton there can be no complaints about ‘gambling sponsors.’ It’s a big step for them to come back but there are a lot of people in the organisation who are into the sport, they could have backed a Pro Team or World Tour team but showed belief in us and gave us a lot of freedom. And like us, they believe that Continental level is not our final destination.

tietema

PEZ: Cannondale bikes for the team and that’s one radical paint job. Cannondale are one of the best bike suppliers there is, we’ll be on the SystemSix Hi-MOD and yes, the paint job is, ‘outspoken’ for sure. We’ll be on Shimano Ultegra Di2 12 speed groupsets with Garmin computers and power meters, wheels are by the Dutch company, Scope and we’ll be riding Pirelli P Zero tyres.

zlm tour tour de tietema

PEZ: What would ‘success’ in 2023 look like for you and TDT Unibet? To make it to the highest levels, riding races like Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France – that would be really great.

roubaix

# Good luck to Bas and the team. You can see all of the ‘Tour de Tietema’ videos HERE on YouTube . #

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It was November 2005 when Ed Hood first penned a piece for PEZ, on US legend Mike Neel. Since then he's covered all of the Grand Tours and Monuments for PEZ and has an article count in excess of 2,150 in the archive. He was a Scottish champion cyclist himself - many years and kilograms ago - and still owns a Klein Attitude, Dura Ace carbon Giant and a Fixie. He and fellow Scot and PEZ contributor Martin Williamson run the Scottish site www.veloveritas.co.uk where more of his musings on our sport can be found.

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  22. Tour de Tietema Unibet's Bas Tietema Gets PEZ'd!

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