A long-term member of the Team dsm-firmenich ranks, Martijn joined the team way back in 2018 and has since proven to be a valuable teammate; who’s been a part of countless successes such as the team’s double podium finish at the 2020 Giro d’Italia.
However, his journey has not always been easy and casting his mind back, 2019 was the epitome of ‘a year of two halves’ for Martijn. He suffered from a terrible crash in Paris-Nice before recovering from his injuries and returning to racing to pick up some strong results. The injury was a tough period for Martijn that has affected him for a while, but it only made him stronger and increased his desire to ride his bike.
“Right after the crash I really wasn’t into cycling. But I eventually realised that I really love what I am doing and found out what motivates me. When I couldn’t do anything, I really wanted to get back to training and racing.”
Now Martijn has fully recovered from the incident and in the past year had some surgery to get fake teeth and a brilliant smile, something that he is very proud of and is a “fact about him many people don’t know”.
Originally a football player, Martijn bossed the midfield for eight years and dabbled his hand at tennis for a few years too. His parents were always cycling, and he reluctantly joined them on holidays as to start off with he wasn’t a fan of the sport. However, he grew tired of football and around his 13th birthday he joined a cycling club, did some races and the passion grew from there.
“What I really like about the racing is that you go all over the world, especially with Grand Tours where you go from one part of the country to the other, exploring. Since I’ve been riding my bike, I’ve seen almost all of Europe, especially different parts of Italy, Spain and France. That’s something really special for me and something I really enjoy about cycling.”
Quiet and thoughtful, Martijn is thankful for the opportunity to ride his bike as a profession, but the Dutchman does not rest on his laurels.
“What motivates me is that every year I want to be better in the following year. It’s nice to get the most out of your body and see as much of the world that we do when riding. When I am done with cycling, I will have already led an exciting life.”
An exceptional teammate, Martijn thinks one of the key attributes that he brings to the team is that he can “help the team on every terrain” and he considers himself as a “versatile rider”.
When he’s not on the bike exploring Europe and the world, you might be able to catch Martijn at a rock concert jamming out, relaxing with his friends and family, or more recently getting his nose stuck into his psychology textbooks.
