THIS TREE CAN’T BE TAKEN DOWN. Is there any scenario where Floortje Mackaij cannot excel? Able to shine at races as different as Paris-Roubaix (6th in 2022) or the Itzulia (8th that same year), she’s one able to put herself to others’ service whenever needed, while also seeking for individual glory when race situations so allow. A true ‘joker’ for any kind of event, which the Movistar Team now enjoys and has built a strong foundation on with for its present and future.
MORE THAN A DECADE’S EXPERIENCE. And she’s just 28 years old (she made her debut as a trainee in 2013, then a fully-fledged pro in 2014, aged just 14). That, without having focused on cycling until junior stage: she spent ten years, the better part of her youth, devoted to ice skating. Consistent and teamwork, without ruling out individual aspirations, have been Mackaij’s focus in cycling, taking her to most of the biggest events in the WWT, including all three Grand Tours in 2023.
LINKS. Floortje became in 2023 only the third rider from the Netherlands -after Annemiek van Vleuten and Erwin Nijboer; Mareille Meijering was the fourth few months after- to join the Abarca Sports organisation. And on top of that, she imitated the road of another big friend: Liane Lippert, who also left behind several years into the same structure to join her at the Blues. They shared the team’s first podium in 2023 in Valencia, then rode all three GTs and spent so much time together in and out of racing. Mackaij’s likeable character has become a true drive for the squad’s success and great bond.
2023: Movistar Team
2014-22: Team DSM