Rabobank Group

In recruiting Carlos Barredo, Rabobank added another strong all rounder to the line up. The Spaniard is especially at ease in hilly terrain. He showcased his climbing abilities during the 2010 Vuelta. Barredo won the stage to Lagos de Covadonga, which is the Spanish equivalent of l’Alpe d'Huez. In 2009 he also proved himself to be capable of tackling one-day races, when the man from Asturias won the Clasica San Sebastian. Carlos Barredo turned pro in 2004 and has five wins to his name so far. The open letter he sent his former team, thanking them for the good years spent working together, is testimony to his character.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in 15th stage of the Vuelta
3rd in 8th stage Tour of California
4th in Spanish National Championship
9th in Tour of Lombardy
12th in Clasica San Sebastian

His debut with the Rabobank professionals was very promising. But the fact remains that even a talented rider, like this former cyclo-cross world champion, has to get used to riding races at the highest level of competition. This became clear in his second pro year. The ‘lange van Vlijmen’ (the tall guy from Vlijmen) made a few necessary steps in his coming of age process. He stunned everyone by winning the prologue in the prestigious Race to the Sun, Paris-Nice, defending his yellow jersey with panache for a few days to boot. And he also showed that he that he is up to the challenge in the classics till 200 kilometers.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in prologue Paris-Nice (tt)
1st in GP Jef Scherens
3rd in Dutch National Championship
5th in E3 Prize Harelbeke
7th overall Eneco Tour

At the close of 2009 Theo Bos left Rabobank’s Continental Team in order to try his luck at a higher level in the ranks of the Cervélo Pro Continental Team. In spring he started out in style by winning four sprints in Spain, one of which ahead of Mark Cavendish. During the classics the former track star found out that he needs to gain some specific road racing strength. But in the following months he still managed to take a nice series of good places in his specialty, the bunch sprint. When Cervélo announced they were retiring their team at the end of the season, Rabobank did not wait long to welcome the prodigal son back into its ranks.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in Clasica Almeria
1st in 5th stage Tour of Murcia
1st in 1st stage Tour of Castilla y León
1st in 2nd stage Tour of Castilla y León
3rd in 4th stage Tour of Denmark

In order to perform even better in the classics, the Rabo Pro Team recruited Matti Breschel. Since his first pro year, in 2005, the 26 year old Dane – who lives and trains in the Italian city of Lucca - evolved into a specific and efficient one-day racer. Not only is Breschel capable of riding across tough hills and cobble stones in front, he also has a very fast sprint to round it off. Enlisting the 2010 World Championship runner up, only Thor Hushovd was faster in Australia, gives Rabobank a new and quick goal getter for the coming season. Look for him in the hard races.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in Through Flanders
2nd in Road world championships
3rd in Paris-Bourges
3rd in Tour of Piemonte
8th in Ghent-Wevelgem

As Rabo Pro Team’s designated sprinter, Graeme Brown ‘only’ managed one win in 2010, a stage in the Tour of Austria. But if only he had been able to convert his seven second and as many third place finishes in victories, his record would have been so much better. The 31 year old Aussie is always close to winning, but often just lacks that little bit of luck (and pure speed) to get the full yield from his fast legs. For this season he will be in good company, with fast guys Theo Bos and fellow Aussie Michael Matthews by his side. Maybe this will lead to a higher number of victories than was the case in 2010.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in 8th stage Tour of Austria
2nd in 3rd stage Giro d’Italia
2nd in 1st, 2nd & 5th stage Tour of Murcia
3rd in de Clasica Almeria
3rd in 4th & 6th stage Santos Tour Down Under

Stef Clement will want to forget about 2010 quickly. While he was watching the Vuelta’s prologue, a team time trial in which he would have loved to be one of Rabobank’s driving forces, the man from Brabant realized he had been off his bike for 100 days exactly. He sustained a very complicated injury in spring and it was only on September 3rd that he was able to get back on the rollers. By the end of that month he could ride outside again. After a relapse, followed by some adjustments to his position, Clement now hopes to see full recovery and an injury free 2011.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
6th overall Tour of Murcia
7th in 4th stage Tour of Murcia (tt)
8th in 4th stage Tour of Castilla y León (tt)
18th in 3rd stage Tour of Murcia
30th in 1st stage Santos Tour Down Under

Laurens ten Dam had his share of bad luck in the past season. No less than three crashes interrupted his season. It started in spring, when a crash on stage two of the Ruta del Sol led to a hair line fracture of the basin. After he had recovered and worked on his form in a training camp in Spain, disaster struck again in stage two of the Tour of Switzerland. A broken wrist and two cracks in his vertebra kept Ten Dam from starting in the Tour. After another strong comeback, with a tenth place finish in the Tour of Burgos as a highlight, he also missed out on starting in the road race at the World Championships. A crash in the Vuelta, causing him to break another wrist, was to blame. We wish him better luck for 2011!

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
9th in 10th stage Vuelta
10th overall Tour of Burgos
11st in 5th stage Tour of Burgos
13rd overall Tour du Limousin
16th in 4th stage Vuelta

In his second pro season Jos van Emden succeeded in making his breakthrough. His increased self confidence in his specialty, time trialing, played a big part there. After a good showing in the Giro d'Italia (ninth place in the opening time trial in Amsterdam), he reached a career milestone in June. Jos van Emden won three time trials in a row: the prologue in the Delta Tour Zeeland, the first stage in the Ster Elektrotoer and, the icing on the cake, the Dutch national championship on June 23rd in Oudenbosch. In the Eneco Tour prologue, sporting the red-white-blue jersey, he only missed the win by a narrow margin.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in national time trial championship
1st in prologue Delta Tour Zeeland (tt)
1st in 1st stage Ster Elektrotoer
2nd in prologue Eneco Tour (tt)
9th in 1st stage Giro d’Italia (tt)

Flens was born and bred in the Zaan district and in the four years he has been riding for Rabobank’s Pro Team, he has proven to be of great value to the team. He is an acknowledged strong man and not only is he one of the best when it comes to chasing down breaks for his leader, but he is also able to place in short time trials. In the tough classics it is not uncommon to see the stocky frame of Rick Flens, easy to recognize on TV, riding at the head of the chasing bunch. In 2010 he rode an epic race in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, the weather was savage, in which he took second behind winner Bobbie Traksel.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
2nd Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
2nd in prologue Delta Tour Zeeland (tt)
5th in prologue Tour of Romandy (tt)
11st in 2nd stage Tour of the Mediterranean
15th in Eneco Groene Hart Tour

Triple world champion Oscar Freire rides another year in 2011. In the past season the Spaniard showed that he still has to be considered as one of the greats. In 2010 Freire, who has been riding for Rabobank since 2003, took seven victories. Two of those were real diamonds, one in spring and one in autumn. In March Freire won his third Milan-San Remo, and in October he managed to add Paris-Tours to his long list of victories for the first time. Next to his wins, Freire also made the honor roll in stages in the Tours of Basque Country, Switzerland, France and Spain. We are very anxious to see what successes he will bring in what may be his last season.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in Milan-San Remo
1st in Paris-Tours
1st in 2nd and 3rd stage Ruta del Sol
1st in 1st and 2nd stage Tour of Basque Country
6th in Road World Championship

Juan Manuel Garate starts his third year with Rabobank. The likeable Spaniard was of great value to his leaders Denis Menchov and Robert Gesink, just like in 2009. Even though he once placed fourth overall in the Giro d’Italia, he is not a typical rider for overall results, but he is an excellent climber. The man from Hondarribia likes to work for his team mates, and they like all the hard work Juanma does for them. In 2011 he is joined by two fellow Spaniards, Carlos Barredo and Luis-Leon Sanchez, strengthening Rabobank for the big Tours.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
3rd in 7th stage Tour de France
6th in 3rd stage Tour de France
15th in 4th stage Tour of Catalonia
15th in 5th stage Tour of Catalonia
19th overall Tour of Castilla y León

The 2010 season ended tragically for Robert Gesink, for one day after his spectacular win in the Tour of Emilia his father was badly hurt in a crash during the Bart Brentjens Challenge. Gesink senior expired almost two weeks later due to the injuries sustained in this dramatic incident. It meant a very sad conclusion to his season, which was so successful from an athletic point of view. Gesink, still only 24 years old, pulled off three beautiful victories and managed to place 6th overall in the first Tour de France he finished. His seventh place in the UCI ranking is the fruit of his work and fully deserved.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in Tour of Emilia
1st in GP Montréal
1st in 6th stage Tour of Switzerland
3rd in 8th stage Tour de France
6th overall Tour de France

Steven Kruijswijk was one of the most remarkable neo pros of 2010. During the Tour of Murcia in March, the 23 year old Brabant native showed everyone that he has great potential. Especially his uphill performances were revelatory. In May he was called upon to replace Oscar Freire – fallen ill - in the team for the Giro d’Italia. Despite his young age - and the fact that he was notified only days prior to the start in Amsterdam - Kruijswijk had an excellent ride. He finished third in Peio Terme, only narrowly missing the win in this stage. When the Giro ended in Verona, Kruiswijk occupied a very promising 18th place overall. In August Kruijswijk confirmed with his eighth place in the Tour of Burgos. Unfortunately a crash in the Tour of Emilia, causing a fracture in his pubic bone, ended his season prematurely.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
3rd in 17th stage Giro d’Italia
6th in 3rd stage Tour of Murcia
8th overall Tour of Burgos
13rd overall Tour of Murcia
18th overall Giro d’Italia

Sebastián Langeveld has the potential to be one of Holland’s best one-day cyclists. He has already shown that he can battle with the best in the classics. After starting out 2010 with a nice tenth place in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and taking sixth in the E3 Prize Flanders, Langeveld had to take a back seat for the rest of spring. This was due to a changed training program over winter and an injury sustained at the season’s start. He came back strong in August with a second place finish in the Tour du Limousin. In this stage race he surprised everyone by being the runner up in the long time trial. His goals for 2011 are to excel in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Flanders and of course Paris-Roubaix.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
2nd overall Tour du Limousin
2nd in 2nd stage Tour du Limousin (tt)
3rd in 1st stage Ster Elektrotoer
6th in E3 Prize Flanders - Harelbeke
10th in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

2010 will be the fourth year in Rabobank‘s Pro Team for Tom Leezer. The former national U-23 champion (2007) can pride himself on his fast legs. But because he hasn’t been able to win sprints himself, he usually helps out his Australian team mate Graeme Brown. In Leezer the Aussie has found a perfect pacesetter for the final kilometer. The native of Delft made the press in August by claiming seventh place in the bunch sprint of the Vattenfall Cyclassics. Thanks to his result in Hamburg, Leezer ensured the Dutch team’s right to line up nine riders at the world championship race down under.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
7th in Vattenfall Cyclassics Hamburg
9th in Dutch Food Valley Classic
10th in 1st stage Tour of California
11st in 6th stage Tour of Austria
12th in Trofeo Cala Millor Mallorca

Paul Martens may be Rabobank’s best kept secret. The 27 year old German, a self described all rounder, is at ease in time trials and short climbs. His sprint is better than average, therefore he is always a likely candidate for the win in a small group. After studying sports management he focused on cycling. Martens transferred from Skil-Shimano in 2008. This summer he was out for three months due to a kidney injury. It was in September that he made his come back at the highest level, and managed to take sixth place in the GP Jef Scherens straight away. Paul Martens speaks Dutch perfectly, just like fellow German Niermann.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in GP de Wallonie
4th in Paris-Brussels
4th in GP Beghelli
4th in Fleche Brabançonne
8th in E3 Prize Flanders - Harelbeke

Michael Matthews was the last recruit technical manager Erik Breukink succeeded in signing for the Rabo Pro Team. And what a wonderful acquisition he proved to be! After finishing second in the U-23 Tour of Flanders, the Australian displayed his enormous potential – just after signing his contract with Rabobank – during the Tour de l’Avenir. On top of his six successive places in the stages, he managed to place eighth overall. Nearly three weeks later, in his native country Australia, he wrote the headlines when he won the world title in the U-23 race thanks to a masterful sprint.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in World Championship U-23
1st in 2nd & 3rd stage Ringerike GP
1st in 4th stage Tour of Wellington
1st in 1st & 3rd stage Tour de Langkawi
1st in 1st stage Tour of Japan (tt)

A case of mononucleosis checked Bauke Mollema’s progression in 2009. But this year the former winner of the Tour de l'Avenir picked up where he left off. In the Giro d’Italia he showed that he is a very promising Tour rider. In Verona Mollema ended the Giro in 12th place. In the fall he manifested himself again. He won a stage in the Tour of Poland (ProTour), and took third overall. In the season’s final weekend Mollema took an impressive eighth place in the Tour of Piemonte, and finished the Tour of Lombardy in 13th place. In 2011 the 24 year old man from Groningen hopes to make his debut in the Tour de France.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in 6th stage Tour of Poland
3rd overall Tour of Poland
5th overall Ruta del Sol
12th overall Giro d’Italia
13rd in Tour of Lombardy

Grischa Niermann is Rabobank’s hidden power. Before the start of the Tour de France the 35 year old Hannover born German signed a new contract with the team he’s been riding for since 1999. It looks like it is going to be his last season, because Sandra’s husband no longer wants to be away from home for long races. The year 2010 marked Niermann’s eighth Tour de France, only one of which he did not finish. In 2011 he will again be there to help his leaders, and they can count on his strength.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
17th overall Tour of Castilla y León
17th in 17th stage Vuelta (tt)
18th in 9th stage Tour of Switzerland (tt)
19th overall Tour of California
56th overall Tour de France

He measures 1.69 m and weighs a mere 58 kilo. That makes Tom-Jelte Slagter one of the light weights of the Rabo Pro Team. But that does not qualify the 2010 performances of this 21 year old kid from Groningen, for they were certainly remarkable. In Beek he won the National U-23 title across the hilly roads of Limburg. And in September he was one of the revelations in the very highly regarded Tour de l’Avenir. In this mini Tour de France he was in a position, until the last stage (a time trial), to climb on the podium, but finally he had to content himself with taking an excellent fourth place overall. With Gesink, Mollema and Ten Dam, Slagter seems predestined to play a leading role in the mountains in the near future.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in Dutch National Championship U23
1st in 2nd stage Circuit des Ardennes
4th overall Tour de l’Avenir
7th in Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23
8th in Vlaamse Pijl - Harelbeke

In 2011, and in spite of his very youthful aura, 32 year old Bram Tankink from Twente will start his tenth season as a pro cyclist. There are not many big wins to his credit, but his long career is proof enough that ‘the Tank’ is more than just a nice guy to have with you on the road, he plays an important role for the team. Tankink is always ready to get down and work hard for his leaders. In 2010 he showed this in the two Canadian ProTour races, helping Robert Gesink on his way to incredible success.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
3rd overall Tour of Belgium
7th in 5th stage Tour of Belgium
16th overall Eneco Tour
24th Vattenfall Cyclassics Hamburg
33rd Dutch National Championship

In his second year with Rabobank, Maarten Tjallingii revealed himself as a true team player. The Frisian born rider who started his career as a biker, values team spirit and has a catching way of encouraging others. In Rotterdam, Tjallingii started in his first Tour de France, a life long dream come true for the 33 year old former mountain biker. This season Maarten Tjallingii distinguished himself in time trials. He managed a very handsome eighth place in the Tour de France’s final time trial, fourth in the Eneco Tour’s prologue and second in the final race against the clock in that same race.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
2nd in 7th stage Eneco Tour (tt)
7th overall Eneco Tour
4th in prologue Eneco Tour (tt)
7th in 7th stage Tour of California
8th in 19th stage Tour de France (tt)

Coen Vermeltfoort considered being able to return to the highest competitive level a victory in itself. The 22 year old cyclist from Schuinesloot had lived a dream in 2008, with the Gerrie Knetemann Trophy as a just reward for his achievements. But 2008’s best U-23 fell from cyclist’s heaven and ended up in hell when, after having suffered for a while, he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. This meant an end to his season, but it also delayed his transfer to the Rabobank’s Pro Team. He spent 2010 racing with the Continental team in his bid to return to the top, which culminated in a second place, behind the almighty Taylor Phinney, in Olympia’s Tour.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
1st in 3rd & 5th stage Olympia’s Tour
1st in Zellik-Galmaarden
2nd overall Olympia’s Tour
2nd in Omloop der Kempen
3rd in Dwars door Drenthe

Last year, after a few lesser seasons, Pieter Weening found the way back to the top. Throughout 2010, the 29 year old Frisian confirmed this positive curve with a number of good results, especially when it came to working for and with the team. But he also kept an eye out for his personal record, mainly in stage races. He pulled of a good stunt in finishing 24th in the Giro d’Italia while working for his leader Bauke Mollema. Another remarkable exploit was that Weening almost wrote history in the Dutch National Championship race. It took an incredible ride by Niki Terpstra to keep the tall climber from claiming the red-white-blue.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
2nd in Dutch National Championship
5th overall Ster Elektrotoer
8th overall Tour of Murcia
10th overall Tour of Austria
17th overall Tour of Catalonia

Like Maarten Tjallingii, Maarten Wynants started his career as a mountain biker. Because it looked like he was not going to reach the top in this discipline, the Belgian switched to the road. In 2004, after winning the national U-23 title, Wynants was able to turn pro. Over the past few seasons we have seen his tall, lanky frame riding at the front of the pack. But that was not all, Wynants was also capable of helping his leaders until deep into the final part of tough one-day races. That fact, and his selfless attitude, was a reason for Rabobank to sign the strong man from Belgian Limburg.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
3rd in the Nacht van Peer
6th in Heusden Koers
14th E3 Prize Flanders - Harelbeke
15th in Paris-Roubaix
19th in Tour of Flanders

In 2009 Dennis van Winden was elected best promising rider of the year. Last season, the Zuid-Holland native made his entry at the highest level. In the beginning things weren’t easy for ‘Pipo’, as the others call him because he bears a resemblance to Italian rider Filippo Pozzato. But as the season advanced, so did Van Winden, getting good results in the Tours of Limousin and Piemonte. But even more important, he was able to do his work for the team. In 2011, 23 year old Van Winden must try to progress some more and become a little tougher, so that, in the future, he can become a more than reasonably good pro cyclist.

BEST RESULTS IN 2010
9th in 3rd stage Tour du Limousin
13rd in Tour of Piemonte
14th in 4th stage Tour of Poland
15th overall Tour du Limousin
16th in Dutch national time trial championship