Place 4 - Jetse Bol

Jetse Bol

Netherlands

08.09.1989

 

Rider Type: Sprinter / Allrounder

Biggest success: 1st Olympia‘s Tour

Team 2011: Rabobank Continental Team

Stagiaire: Rabobank

Team 2012: Rabobank

Best Mock List-placing: 12th (2010)

Web: www.jetsebol.nl

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Behind his compatriot Kelderman and the Italian Battaglin Jetse Bol was the best-placed Mock Lister not to sign a pro contract last year. That paired with his outstanding performances this year caused his improvement on this years Mock List as well as the fact that he did sign a contract with the Rabobank Pro Tour team for 2012.

 

Following this, Bol enjoyed receiving an article of THE BeNeLux expert of the Mock List team last year (see: www.cycling4fans.de/index.php ). That article covers his career between his National Time Trial Championship in the youth category in 2005 and his sixth place at the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (1.1) last year.

Despite that the focus of this article will not only be on this season, but will highlight his development before as well.

 

Before hiring at the Mini Rabo team, Bol rode two years with the Sinnige Bouw Wielerteam,

of course without losing any of his strengh and dominance. While spending his first year as a Continental Team rider in 2008, he naturally had to learn to his coat. He had to fight his way up in the hierarchie but showed his class with an eighth place at Paris - Roubaix (1.2U) and a ninth place at the first stage of the Tour de Missouri (2.1) among others. In that race he had to compete against a very prominent podium; Cavendish, Farrar and Chicchi. That result proved that in the future Bol could be counted on in the sprints.

 

The year 2009 was under the banner of his overall victory of the Olympia’s Tour (2.2). In last year's portrait this victory is decribed as precisely as thrilling. With Rabobanks win at the team time trial and seventh place at the third stage Bol positioned himself in reach of the overall leader Stevenson before the last stage, where the Dutchman benefited from the weakness of the Swede and of course his own strength.

On exotic ground; in Mexico; Bol managed to finish fourth at a bunch sprint of the Vuelta a Chihuahua (2.1). The competition was admitedly manageable though. A fifth place at the prologue of the Tour de Normandie (2.2) and a fourth place at the Boucles de la Mayenne (2.2) wrapped up his season..

In the Belgian city of Hogglede-Gits he aditionally finished twelfth at the European Time Trial Championship. There he was only beaten with one second by Alex Dowsett.

 

In 2010 Bol finally really striked. With his victory in the prologue of the Tour de Normandie (2.2) and third place on the queen's stage he layd the foundation for his fifth place in the general classification.

The Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux (2.2) became his prey only short time later. He won the time trial and managed not to finish outside of the top three at any stage! Kittel, Phinney and Robert all were defeated by him in the sprint. But that also didn't stop his appetite for victories. Only three weeks later he took the opening stage of the Tour de Bretagne (2.2). That was followed by sixth place in the time trial and third place in a bunch sprint behind Degenkolb. In the general classification the Dutchman came in eights.

The second part of the season only offered sporadic results. The high expectations he had at the Olympia’s Tour (2.2) Bol wasn't able to fulfill as 17th. He scored to top ten placings at the short opening time trials of the Boucles de la Mayenne (2.2) and the Volta ao Portugal (2.1).

Only the earlier mentioned Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (1.1), where he finished sixth in bunch sprint in front of the likes of Kristoff and Steegmans gave reason to look into the future optimistically.

 

This season though started off slow: after a fifth place at the Ster van Zwolle (1.2) he only managed undistingueshed appearances at the Tour de Normandie (2.2) and the Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux (2.2). It was until April when Bol demonstrated his strenght. When Kenny van Hummel dominated the Ronde van Drenthe (2.1), Bol sprinted to the places eight and five against Kruopis, van Poppel, Blythe and Veelers among others. That meant a strong sixth place in the general classification. Right after this Bol followed up with two impressing stage wins at the Tour de Bretagne (2.2), in the genarel classification however he had to give the advantage to three riders from a breakaway.

After second place at the Omloop der Kempen (1.2), obtained in the sprint of a 18 rider containing group, Bol started his delayed operation title defence at the Olympia’s Tour (2.2)

Despite the prologue, dominated by the Australians Durbridge and Hepburn, turned out to be a disappointment, the Dutchman received the yellow jersey after winning the sprint of stage one against Stroetinga, Rowe and Wippert among others. After three sprint victories of Wim Stroetinga, where Bol tried his best without really getting anywhere, Durbridge and Hepburn scored again in the second time trial and extracted Bol from his leader jersey. But the Mini Rabo struck back! Together with his teammates Dumoulin and Sinkeldam he took back the lead in the closing stage. Against the fellow escapees Bauer and Ludvigsson he won the sprint of the five man groep as well and superseded the Australians to the places six and seven.

He was not completely able to take this momentum to the next races. He finished seventh at the U23 edition of Paris-Roubaix (1.2U) and fifth at a stage of the Thüringen-Rundfahrt (2.2U).

 

Just as last year Bol signed a stagiaire contract with the Rabobank Pro Tour Team in the second half of the season. While his appearance at the Post Danmark Rundt (2.HC) was much influenced by the strong team; he rode with Freire, Kruijswijk, Bos und Weening and had to work for them. His next deployment was at the Châteauroux Classic de l'Indre - Trophée Fenioux (1.1). In the French late summer he was allowed to aim for a good result. He sprinted to the sixth place and repeated that classification at the first stage of the Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne (2.1).

This proves the 22 year old's speed, that he will try to bring to its use next year in the Rabobank Pro Tour team and at the ascending finishline in Copenhagen!

 

Nominated by virtualprofit, written by virtualprofit, translated by ogkempf