Building for the future, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL are thrilled to reveal that three talented Dutch youngsters – Ko Molenaar, Christiaan van Rees and Jurgen Zomermaand – will join their Development program next season. Van Rees will wear the team’s jersey for 2025, while Molenaar and Zomermaand will pull on the distinctive two stripes through at least the 2026 campaign.

Photo Credit: Flavio Moretti Fotografie
Ko Molenaar
Coming from Wervershoof in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands, Molenaar was a tennis player when he was younger, but he made the switch to cycling at the age of 12 and hasn’t looked back. A promising debut campaign in the junior ranks saw him compete in a wide variety of races to gain as much experience as possible racing against some strong opposition. Good results at the likes of Côte de’Or Classic Juniors and Tour de l’Eure Juniors followed, but arguably his best race was at the hilly GP Rüebliland Juniors where a fourth place on the final day saw him secure third overall and the best first-year title. Struggling with injury niggles in the opening part of 2024, Molenaar still helped his teammates to strong results but after recovering fully, he himself began to shine too. A sensational win in the Dutch road race saw him claim the famous tricolour in June over the challenging and punchy parcours, before another win at Kerniel-Borgloon was swiftly followed up by final stage glory at Ronde des Vallées Juniors where he also laid claim to both the sprint and mountain jerseys.
Molenaar expressed: “The professionalism with which the team operates is something that really appealed to me. I think it allows me to learn a lot and develop myself as a cyclist and as a person in general. I’m looking forward to making another step towards my ultimate goal of becoming a pro cyclist. To come a bit closer to that dream by working together with the whole team, the riders and the staff. I’m also excited to ride beautiful races and discovering new experiences. I don’t know exactly what kind of rider I am yet. The classics and hilly races suit me well, I think, but in the coming years I want to find out what my specialities are with the team. Of course, the goal is always to win races. If we want to achieve that, we must get the most out of ourselves and as a team. For that we need to have a good atmosphere in the group of guys. I think I bring a good team player attitude, and I enjoy working together, on and off the bike and I also hopefully will bring positive energy to the squad.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “A strong and attacking rider, Ko has had two really good years in the junior category, and it is great to have the junior Dutch champion join our Development program. He has shown his versatility this season, but he has really excelled over hilly parcours and in open races, with that win on the VAM-berg highlighting his punchy nature. Like all our young talents, we will give him the space to grow as a rider and person without any pressure on results, focusing on the basics so we can build together for the future.”

Photo Credit: Marcel Cycling Photos
Christiaan van Rees
Spending two years at the junior level in 2022 and 2023, where he took some promising results that included four wins on the domestic Dutch circuit alongside several other places of honour and top tens in races, Van Rees made the step-up to the U23 level with Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team in 2024. Through the team’s partnership with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, Van Rees was able to race alongside some of the Development program riders already in the U23 Road Series where he impressed with strong riding and committed teamwork. As a first-year U23 rider he has continued his progress and opened the campaign with a nice win at Omloop van Schijndel before a string of consistent performances in the very competitive Dutch and Belgian racing scene where he has secured 11 top five finishes throughout the year, were followed up in June with victory in a fast sprint finale at Kampioenschap Waasland. Lately Van Rees has continued his consistent performances with further top five results in fast finishes.
Van Rees said: “Team dsm-firmenich PostNL is very professional and has a structured way of working that I really like, and they have a big focus on development. I’ve already raced a few races with the team when we’ve had mixed line-ups with Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team. I really enjoyed them, and it was nice to get some results together. I see myself as a sprinter, but racing on cobblestones or in difficult conditions also suits me very well if it is not too hilly. Next year I want to race well as a unit and help each other take some wins together, and I’m also looking forward to getting the best out myself in training and the races. I think I am a rider who can always be found in the front of the peloton, and I have some good leadership skills, so I hope that with these strengths I can make a great contribution to the team.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna continued: “We’ve already worked closely with Christiaan through our collaboration with Dutch Food Valley Cycling Team. He has a good personality and communicates well with the rest of the riders, both on and off the bike, so we think he will fit in well with the team. He’s someone that has a fast finish who doesn’t mind a hard day in the saddle through some challenging weather conditions, and he has a lot of grit and determination. We’re looking forward to continuing working with him as he joins the Development program, and hopefully we can take more steps together.”

Jurgen Zomermaand
Young Dutch talent Zomermaand hails from Franeker in the province of Friesland. Now into his second year with the Willebrord Wil Vooruit Juniors team, 2023 saw him make the transition to that level with a strong performance at the Ronde van Oud Gastel which he managed to take the win. The rest of the season saw Zomermaand pick up some solid results throughout Europe, gaining valuable experience which he took with him into this recent winter. During training camp at the start of 2024 Zomermaand went somewhat viral after a strong time on the famous Coll de Rates climb, earned him a top ten on the leaderboard amongst some esteemed company. His racing season began with a strong second at GP José Colette before third overall at the mountainous Gipuzkoa Klasikoa. The summer saw him continue to impress with third at Classique Alpes Juniors, third at the Dutch national road race championships and fifth overall at Junioren Rudfahrt where he won the mountains jersey. After coming close throughout the season Zomermaand could raise his arms aloft at the Volta a Portugal Juniores where he won stages two and four alongside the overall title, and recently finished second overall at Keizer der Juniores and eighth in the World Championships road race.
Zomermaand said: “When I started cycling, I became a big fan of Tom Dumoulin and since then I’ve always had the dream to ride one day for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. I’m looking forward to being challenged next year with the team and taking another step towards my dreams of hopefully making it pro, with the help of the staff and teammates. I see myself as a rider who can ride well uphill and alongside that I also really like time trials, so my dream is to become a GC rider one day. I always want to achieve the maximum potential out of myself and those around me, so I hope we can battle for victories in the biggest races in the coming years. I think on, but also off the bike, I am a real team player, so I am always ready to help everyone. When I’m off the bike, I am also very eager to learn and bring motivation to get better together with the people around me.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Jurgen has shown himself to be a very exciting climbing talent in the junior ranks and has made nice progression each year. Alongside his abilities on the climbs, he has also put in solid TT performances too this year. Having a combination of those skillsets would point to potential for GC in the future but we don’t want to put any pressure on that immediately. We think within our environment he can thrive and develop further as a rider, as we take our step-by-step approach to development.”