2013 has been something of a breakthrough season for Bauke Mollema (Belkin), culminating with his sixth place overall at the Tour de France. As a result, Mollema is set to lead the Dutch national team for the upcoming UCI World road Championships in September in Florence, Italy.

During the first two weeks of the Tour, Mollema looked destined to finish on the podium in the Grande Boucle thus being the first Dutch rider in more than two decades to accomplish this feat.

However, his hopes were destroyed when Mollema dropped from second to fourth overall following the stage 17 time trial to Chorges. Struck by the flu, Mollema struggled through the closing stages to eventually finish sixth.

Throughout the season, Mollema has put together a string of top ten finishes, beginning with sixth at the Tour Méditerranéen, followed by runner-up spots at Vuelta a Murcia and Tour de Suisse, fourth at Critérium International, 10th at Amstel Gold Race, ninth at Flèche Wallonne, fourth at Tour of Norway, and just last week, he was ninth at Clasica San Sebastian.

Speaking to Dutch tv-channel NOS, national coach Johan Lammerts declared that the results achieved by the 26-year-old Mollema commanded that he be made captain of the Dutch selection heading to Florence.

"Bauke is the front-runner and we are expecting a result," he said. "He gets a sheltered role and should sit quietly in the peloton until the final."

Pieter Weening, Wilco Kelderman, Robert Gesink and Laurens ten Dam should also feature prominently in the 9 rider Dutch squad in Florence.

Since May, Lammerts has been working with a select group of riders for the championships since May.