Blues add further strength to their roster
28-year-old Dutchwoman signs two-season contract with Telefónica-backed squad as of May 1st, becomes Blues’ 16th rider for 2023; looks forward to bring her all-around talent in only her first full-pro season.
The Movistar Team adds on Thursday another piece to one of the most balanced rosters in the UCI Women’s WorldTour with the signing of Mareille Meijering (De Bilt, Utrecht, NED; 1995). The Dutchwoman will join the Sebastián Unzué-led outfit as of May 1st -her contract expiring at the end of the 2024 season-, and is already training with her new team-mates in the Netherlands, the Blue camp for the Ardennes classics located in Maastricht this year.
Meijering is currently covering only her first season fully devoted to bike racing. Holder of a Master of Science in Finance and Economics, Mareille has so far combined her work as a teacher -in the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and the Utrecht University- and involvement in the private sector with a long amateur career in cycling, with some good results at national level.
Having completed in 2022, with continental outfit Multum Accountants, her first WorldTour events outside the Netherlands -such as the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Gent-Wevelgem or the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (19th)-, 2023 has seen a quick breakthrough from Meijering. She was 10th overall in the UAE Tour, rode with the top contenders in Valencia (10th) and stayed at a very high level in Binda or Nokere. Her talents and results have earned her the Blues’ confidence to become their 16th member for this year.
QUOTES:
Mareille Meijering: “It’s been a very fast rollercoaster for me! If you would have told me half a year ago that I would join the team, I would not have believed it. Last year, it was really just an adventure to race WorldTour events next to being a full-time teacher. This year I could focus a lot more on training, racing and especially resting, by not having to work full-time anymore, and it made a huge difference already. I’m looking forward to see how much more progress I can make when I can fully focus on cycling.
“I’ve been cycling on an amateur level for quite a long time, but I don’t have a lot of experience in the WWT peloton. I still have a lot to learn in that and that’s also what I hope to do in the remainder of this season and next year; learn from the best, work with the best (riders and staff), develop myself and make progress both physically and tactically to be able to reach the top in the future. I think this team provides a very good environment to do that.”
Sebastián Unzué: “Despite Mareille having started her full-time commitment to cycling relatively late, she’s got a ‘full life’ of experience in racing on her shoulders, from her racing in the Netherlands, and she’s got all skills and experience needed. She’s yet to know almost all big races, but her progression over the last year and a half fully focused on bike racing makes us hope she’ll become a great rider.
“Her initial goal should be to learn as much as possible and become a great support to our leaders – she’s also one who defends herself really well in all terrains, she’s good on the bike, has a lot of racecraft -which is so important in the classics-, and we want to offer her all the means and the right atmosphere so she can grow.
“We don’t know yet how far she will reach, but she’s got loads of potential – she’s already improving the overall level of our team and she’s got clear ideas in mind. She’ll reach far in a top team. She’ll have to take great sacrifices with this new challenge, but she’s ready for it and is super motivated to give it her all from day one.”