Daniek Hengeveld (NED)
At 19 years of age, Hengeveld has spent her first two years out of the junior ranks honing her skills at GT Krush Tunap Pro Cycling; where she’s rode a combination of road and track events. 2021 saw her claim an impressive stage win in the four-kilometre opening time trial at Belgrade GP Woman Tour, highlighting her speed and power against the clock over short distances, alongside success at the Dutch national track championships. This year Hengeveld has continued to combine both disciplines with a good tenth place at a hard edition of Drentse Acht van Westerveld on the road, before more recently setting a Dutch national record in the individual pursuit on the track which was followed up by second in both the omnium and points race at the U23 European track championships.
Hengeveld said: “I am really excited to join Team DSM. I have had several talks with people on the team about their plan for me, goals for the upcoming years and my ambitions. From the start I have felt their trust in me and that is a very nice feeling. The team has clear goals with their riders when it comes to development as both individuals and as a team. That really appeals to me. I can’t wait to get started. So far, I think I have shown that I can ride a good time trial and ride a fast pace for a long time as well in the bunch, but I also believe that I haven’t found out my whole potential yet. The team wants to help me realise that and I look forward to discovering together with Team DSM what type of rider I really am.”
Team DSM head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Daniek was a strong junior rider and that’s where our scouting department noticed her for the first time. Making the step up to the continental level last year, she was known for her strong breakaways, and she made it tough for us chasing behind in some races. This season she has also performed well on the track, setting a new national record in the pursuit, which also shows that she has a big engine. We think that Daniek’s characteristics can suit the classics and form a strong part of our sprint lead out too. We’re looking forward to getting started with Daniek and helping her reach her potential.”
Anna van der Meiden (NED)
Bursting onto the scene as a first-year junior in 2021, Van der Meiden started her season off with a strong third place on GC over the hilly terrain at Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie femmes, before going one-step higher on the podium at Bizkaikoloreak with second on GC. Her campaign would end on a high-note and after consecutive fourth places in the time trial at the European and World Championships, Van der Meiden would power her way to the Dutch tricolour against the clock; repeating the feat almost two weeks later in the road race over the infamous VAM-berg. 2022 has seen her continue to improve and ply her trade with WV Schijndel, taking sixth at Omloop van Noordwest Overijssel after being caught in the last 500 metres and a hard fought third on GC at Omloop Borsele Juniors.
Van der Meiden said: “I chose Team DSM because it felt right after the conversations I had with the team. I felt they had faith in me and that I really get the chance to develop myself as a rider and also as person. Further, I think the anti-doping stance of the team is very strong and that was something that was really important to me when looking for a team. I’m really looking forward to learning a lot from the riders and staff. I’m also just really excited about riding as a team in some big races. At the moment I’m not quite sure of what type of rider I am, but I think I can be a good climber and I also like time trails too. In the short term I would like to be of as much help to the team as possible while in the future I would love to be able to win a stage at the Giro.”
Team DSM head coach Rudi Kemna continued: “Anna had an exceptionally good first year in the juniors with strong results throughout the season and ended the year with a fantastic double at the Dutch national championships – winning the time trial and road race. Someone who in the juniors has shown to have a big engine, is explosive, has a good time trial and can climb well; she is a strong all-round talent who is a very driven individual and she has improved a lot with her team WV Schijndel. As she’s still young though there is a lot of room for Anna to develop and we will aim to keep her focus as broad as possible to start off with; giving her space to improve overall as a rider as she makes the step up with us.”
Nienke Vinke (NED)
Now into her second season as a junior Vinke has progressed as a rider year-on-year with her team AG Insurance NXTG U19, fighting for top results over a multitude of terrain. Her opening year saw consistent performances rewarded with fifth on GC at Tour du Géveaudan Occitanie femmes and sixth place overall at Watersley Ladies Challenge, before rounding out the year with second in the road race at the Dutch national championships. 2022 has seen Vinke continue to make steps with another set of good GC results that include fourth overall at Omloop van Borsele and a repeat of 2021’s result with fifth at Tour du Géveaudan Occitanie femmes. Building on that she recently claimed a brilliant double at the Dutch national championships with a powerful performance in the time trial and going solo in the road race over the VAM-berg.