Bursting onto the scene in his first year in the junior ranks in 2022, Mees took three wins to his name and several other places of honour, before another consistent campaign in 2023 saw him take more podium places and top tens ahead of a move to the team’s Development program in 2024.
Cycling wasn’t Mees’ first sport though and instead he took up gymnastics after seeing all his older sister’s medals and thinking, “I want that”. However, it turned out that Mees wasn’t as adept on the gymnastics floor as he had hoped and eventually stopped after being “no good at it.” After not doing anything for half a year, his mum encouraged him to take up something and having been inspired by the Tour de France passing Zeeland previously in 2010 where he and his family went to watch, an 11-year-old Mees decided to take up cycling more competitively.
“I biked outside as a kid and then my mum said why not go and try it properly and I fell in love with it. Since that point, I won some races and kept working at it and here I am now.”
A fan of the film “Cars” as a youngster which Mees admits he “watched a lot”, the speed and excitement of the sport is something that grips him as a person. He also likes both the mental and physical aspect of challenging yourself too, pushing yourself to the limits and trying to be better every day.
“Seeing those improvements motivates me to go out on the bike but I also just enjoy riding too for the fun of it; I think it’s a really good way to clear your head.”
Clearing your head and having something else to focus on other than cycling is also important for the young Dutchie who at the moment is studying for a psychology degree. It’s a flexible self-study course and something that Mees thinks can be combined with his cycling well, and “keeps my mind occupied.”
It makes sense then that one of the words he uses to describe himself as “curious”, as he likes to find out answers and the reasons for things. Alongside that, he believes he’s a “helpful” guy and thinks he brings that as a strong asset to the team because having good teamwork is important to achieving your goals.
Looking ahead to the opening year in the U23 ranks Mees is “excited” about moving up but admits he’s sure he’ll have nervous butterflies for his opening race.
“I think the most important thing is to develop and take in all the information you can. Of course, you want to be able to achieve the best results possible. For most riders who are first year U23 it is tough, but I hope to be able to make that step.”
The self-appointed “curious”, “helpful” and “goal orientated” Mees expects that his personal qualities will fit in well with the rest of the guys, and he hopes to bring that helpful nature out in others with “good teamwork” being an important factor for him in success. Inspired by one of his sporting idols, long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge, Mees is determined to give a cycling career his best shot and do everything he can to get the most out of himself.
Away from the bike and when he’s not studying for his psychology degree, then Mees admits he’s “quite a simple guy” who enjoys spending time with his family and friends or going on walks with his dog – an adorable labradoodle. If you’re lucky though, you might catch him doing some funny voices which are his now not so hidden talent, with Stitch and Jar Jar Binks two of his specialities.