Dutch cyclist Mareille Meijering has renewed her contract with Movistar Team for three more years. That means she will race for the Spanish Women’s World Tour team at least until the end of 2027. The 29-years-old rider is a late bloomer. After focusing on studies, being a professor at a Dutch university and mostly racing in the Netherlands and Belgium, she in 2023 discovered her abilities as a climber. Earlier this month she took her first victories on UCI-level, winning both the second stage and the general classification of the Vuelta Extremadura.
“Since last year, my life definitely changed a lot. From teaching at university, to suddenly quitting completely and going all-in for cycling”, Meijering says. “Obviously 2023 was not as successful as everyone hoped it would have been, with an injury and sporting difficulties, so the main goal for this winter was to stay healthy. The team just kept believing in me, helped me through this difficult period and gave me all the team and space that I needed to recover. That made it an easy decision when the time came to decide if I wanted to stay.”
From the start Meijering felt at home at Movistar Team, after joining them during last season. “You always hear about this team that it’s like a family, but you don’t realize how far it goes to that extent until you are part of it. The vibe is super good and the riders and staff are amazing.” That had a positive effect on her performance as well. And Meijering hopes for more. “I think that, if I can build in some consistency over the next few years, there’s a lot of steps I can make.”
