2010 Rabobank season

2010 Rabobank season
Manager Erik Breukink
One-day victories 7
Stage race overall victories –
Stage race stage victories 13
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The 2010 season for the Rabobank cycling team began in January with the Tour Down Under and ended in October at the Giro di Lombardia. As a UCI ProTour team, they are automatically invited and obliged to attend every event in the ProTour.

The team's manager is former team member Erik Breukink, in his seventh season in the role. The team's ridership is almost entirely unchanged from 2009, with a small number of riders departing and the only arrivals being promotions from the Rabobank continental team.

2010 roster

Ages as of January 1, 2010.

Rider Date of birth
 Mauricio Ardila (COL) (1979-05-12)May 12, 1979 (aged 30)
 Lars Boom (NED) (1985-12-30)December 30, 1985 (aged 24)
 Graeme Brown (AUS) (1979-04-09)April 9, 1979 (aged 30)
 Stef Clement (NED) (1982-09-24)September 24, 1982 (aged 27)
 Rick Flens (NED) (1983-04-11)April 11, 1983 (aged 26)
 Óscar Freire (ESP) (1976-02-15)February 15, 1976 (aged 33)
 Juan Manuel Gárate (ESP) (1976-04-24)April 24, 1976 (aged 33)
 Robert Gesink (NED) (1986-05-31)May 31, 1986 (aged 23)
 Dmitri Kozontchuk (RUS) (1984-04-05)April 5, 1984 (aged 25)
 Steven Kruijswijk (NED) (1987-06-07)June 7, 1987 (aged 22)
 Sebastian Langeveld (NED) (1985-01-17)January 17, 1985 (aged 24)
 Tom Leezer (NED) (1985-12-26)December 26, 1985 (aged 24)
 Paul Martens (GER) (1983-10-26)October 26, 1983 (aged 26)
 Denis Menchov (RUS) (1978-01-25)January 25, 1978 (aged 31)
Rider Date of birth
 Koos Moerenhout (NED) (1973-11-05)November 5, 1973 (aged 36)
 Bauke Mollema (NED) (1986-11-26)November 26, 1986 (aged 23)
 Grischa Niermann (GER) (1975-11-03)November 3, 1975 (aged 34)
 Nick Nuyens (BEL) (1980-05-05)May 5, 1980 (aged 29)
 Joost Posthuma (NED) (1981-03-08)March 8, 1981 (aged 28)
 Kai Reus (NED) (1985-03-11)March 11, 1985 (aged 24)
 Tom Stamsnijder (NED) (1985-05-15)May 15, 1985 (aged 24)
 Bram Tankink (NED) (1978-12-03)December 3, 1978 (aged 31)
 Laurens ten Dam (NED) (1980-11-13)November 13, 1980 (aged 29)
 Maarten Tjallingii (NED) (1977-11-05)November 5, 1977 (aged 32)
 Jos van Emden (NED) (1987-06-27)June 27, 1987 (aged 22)
 Dennis van Winden (NED) (1987-12-02)December 2, 1987 (aged 22)
 Pieter Weening (NED) (1985-02-18)February 18, 1985 (aged 24)

Riders who joined the team for the 2010 season
Rider 2009 team
Steven KruijswijkRabobank continental team
Dennis van WindenRabobank continental team
Riders who left the team during or after the 2009 season
Rider 2010 team
Juan Antonio FlechaTeam Sky
Bram de GrootRetired
Marc de MaarUnitedHealthcare–Maxxis
Mathew HaymanTeam Sky
Pedro HorrilloRetired[1]

One-day races

Freire scored the team's first victory of the season in the Trofeo Cala Millor, part of the Vuelta a Mallorca quasi-stage race, as he outsprinted Tour Down Under stars André Greipel and Manuel Cardoso.[2]

Grand Tours

Giro d'Italia

Menchov, the 2009 Giro d'Italia champion, announced in October 2009 that he would not defend his championship in 2010.[3] The team thus entered the Giro without any expectations of contending for another overall victory. Mollema rode as the squad leader. Freire was supposed to start the race, with aims of winning one of the flat road race stages in the team's home country, the Netherlands, but he pulled out of the race two days before it started due to respiratory illness. Kruijswijk took Freire's place on the squad.[4] The squad wore special jerseys for the Giro, incorporating the colors of the Italian flag and the logo for Right To Play, which the team supports. The jerseys were later auctioned off with the proceeds going to Right To Play.[5]

As expected, the squad was active in the opening to the Giro in the Netherlands. Van Emden was ninth best in the stage 1 individual time trial, 9 seconds off Bradley Wiggins' winning time.[6] Flens made the breakaway in stage 2, and Brown took eighth in the sprint for the finish line.[7] The next day of racing was similar, with Stamsnijder making the morning break and Brown finishing second just behind Wouter Weylandt in the sprint. Weening was tenth in the overall standings prior to the transfer to Italy, 16 seconds behind the race leader. Brown led the points classification and wore the red jersey at this point.[8] The squad was 11th in the stage 4 team time trial, just over a minute of Liquigas–Doimo's winning pace.[9] Brown was one of the many sprinters upset by a three-rider breakaway just surviving to the finish in stage 5. He was seventh on this stage, but lost the red jersey to Jérôme Pineau who was up the road in the breakaway and won the stage.[10] Van Emden contested the depleted group sprint in stage 9, finishing ninth.[11]

The squad was then quiet for several days, but in the final stages in the Dolomites both Mollema and Kruijswijk turned in solid rides. In stage 14, which went over Monte Grappa, Mollema rode with the second group on the road, finishing the stage seventh.[12] Kruijswijk made a winning breakaway three stages later and had a chance for victory at Pejo Terme. Kruijswijk, Danilo Hondo, and Damien Monier were the last three riders together at the head of the race and finished well clear of the others. Monier soloed to victory more than 30 seconds ahead, and Hondo left Kruijswijk behind in the stage's final kilometer, leaving him third.[13] Brown contested the sprint in stage 18, the Giro's last mass finish, coming away sixth.[14] Mollema was eighth in the Giro's most climbing-intensive day, stage 20, riding the Passo di Gavia and Passo del Tonale with or near the Giro elite.[15] In the final day's time trial, Stamsnijder took tenth. Despite not expecting their squad to contend in the overall standings, Rabobank was one of only three squads (the others being Liquigas–Doimo and Ag2r–La Mondiale) to finish with three riders in the top 20 overall. These were Mollema in 12th, Ardila in 15th, and Kruijswijk in 18th. Stamsnijder won the Giro's TV classification for intermediate sprints (TV being short for traguardo volante, or "flying sprint"). The squad also placed well in both teams classifications, finishing second in the Trofeo Fast Team and third in the Trofeo Super Team.[16]

Tour de France

Menchov and Gesink co-captained the squad sent to the Tour de France.[3] Menchov was often mentioned as a contender for overall victory, as he sought the Tour title to complete the career sweep of the Grand Tours.[17][18][19] Menchov had fallen ill in May at the Tour de Romandie, but reported regaining his strength during the Critérium du Dauphiné and believed himself to be in optimal form for the Tour. Freire was also named to the squad, with the intention of acting as a free agent (a sprinter without his own leadout train) in the flat stages. The team hoped for a mountain stage win and possibly a high overall placing from Gesink.[20]

A man in his late twenties, wearing an orange and blue cycling jersey with white trim
Denis Menchov entered the Tour de France with overall victory his goal, and finished third overall.

The team was mostly quiet in the race's first week. Menchov rode poorly in the prologue time trial, nearly a minute off the winning time of Fabian Cancellara and five seconds worse than Gesink, despite the fact that Menchov is generally the far superior time trialist.[21] In stage 2, when dozens of riders from nearly every team crashed on a slippery descent of the Col du Stockeu in Spa, Gesink crashed and broke a bone in his right arm. It was reported as likely that he would withdraw from the Tour,[22] but he rode on. Freire had difficulties in the early flat stages, tenth in stage 4 the closest he came to a victory.[23]

In stage 7 to Station des Rousses in the Jura, the first stage with any significant quantity of climbing, Menchov and Gesink both finished with the peloton, a result which moved Menchov into tenth overall after being distant in the overall classification to that point.[24] The next day, in a more climbing-intensive stage, Menchov and Gesink finished with the second group on the road, ceding 10 seconds to Andy Schleck and Samuel Sánchez but gaining time against everyone else in the race. This result moved Menchov up to fifth overall, and Gesink to 11th, up from 23rd.[25] In the next stage, one which featured one of the Tour's hardest climbs, the Col de la Madeleine, Menchov and Gesink rode most of the stage together. They lost two minutes to Schleck and Alberto Contador and effectively any chance to win the race, and also lost one minute and ten seconds to Sánchez, but gained time against nearly everyone else in the race. They occupied fourth (Menchov) and seventh (Gesink) after the stage.[26] During stage 14, Menchov and Sánchez pulled back 14 seconds from Schleck and Contador, after the two leaders engaged in a bizarre seeming track stand during the stage's final climb to Ax-3-Domaines. They still sat over two minutes behind them in the overall classification, an effectively insurmountable time gap. Gesink also passed Levi Leipheimer in this stage to move up to sixth overall, as the American lost 45 seconds to Gesink's group.[27]

In stage 15, Menchov and Sánchez were tangentially involved in the day's greater controversy. While the group of overall favorites was climbing the hors catégorie Port de Balès, the chain on race leader Schleck's bicycle slipped. At the exact moment that happened, Contador attacked and got clear of the group. While Schleck was unable to respond due to his mechanical trouble, Menchov and Sánchez, along with five others, followed Contador and finished 39 seconds clear of the Luxembourger, though their positions relative to both of the leading riders was essentially unchanged.[28] In the race's queen stage, stage 17 ending at the Col du Tourmalet, Menchov and Gesink again finished together. The lost a minute and 40 seconds to Schleck and Contador, who finished together at the head of the race, and eight seconds to Sánchez. This gave Sánchez a 21 second lead over Menchov for the third step on the podium, but with a 52 km (32 mi) individual time trial still to contest, Menchov had good odds of overtaking him.[29] During that time trial, a drastic change in wind direction occurred. This made it so earlier starters posted considerably better times than those who came later. Contador, for example, who had won the long time trial in the 2009 Tour de France, was 35th on the day, 5 minutes and 43 seconds off the pace. Menchov, however, was 11th, taking time out of nearly every other rider in the race. The result moved him up to third overall,[30] a position he held in the Tour's largely ceremonial finale the next day. The squad finished third in the teams classification.[31]

Season victories

Date Race Competition Rider Country Location
February 8 Trofeo Cala Millor UCI Europe Tour  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)  Spain Mallorca
February 22 Ruta Del Sol, Stage 2 UCI Europe Tour  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)  Spain Córdoba
February 23 Ruta Del Sol, Stage 3 UCI Europe Tour  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)  Spain Benahavís
February 25 Ruta Del Sol, Points classification UCI Europe Tour  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)  Spain
March 7 Paris–Nice, Prologue UCI World Ranking  Boom, LarsLars Boom (NED)  France Montfort-l'Amaury
March 16 Tirreno–Adriatico, Youth classification UCI World Ranking  Gesink, RobertRobert Gesink (NED)  Italy
March 20 Milan–Sanremo UCI World Ranking  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)  Italy Sanremo
April 5 Tour of the Basque Country, Stage 1 UCI ProTour  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)[N 1]  Spain Zierbena
April 6 Tour of the Basque Country, Stage 2 UCI ProTour  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)[N 2]  Spain Viana
May 30 Giro d'Italia, TV classification UCI World Ranking  Stamsnijder, TomTom Stamsnijder (NED)  Italy
June 11 Delta Tour Zeeland, Prologue UCI Europe Tour  Van Emden, JosJos Van Emden (NED)  Netherlands Hulst
June 13 Delta Tour Zeeland, Youth classification UCI Europe Tour  Van Emden, JosJos Van Emden (NED)  Netherlands
June 16 Ster Elektrotoer, Prologue UCI Europe Tour  Van Emden, JosJos Van Emden (NED)  Netherlands Gemert
June 17 Tour de Suisse, Stage 6 UCI World Ranking  Gesink, RobertRobert Gesink (NED)   Switzerland La Punt-Chamues-ch
July 8 Tour of Austria, Stage 5 UCI Europe Tour  Nuyens, NickNick Nuyens (BEL)  Austria Deutschlandsberg
July 10 Tour of Austria, Stage 7 UCI Europe Tour  Posthuma, JoostJoost Posthuma (NED)  Austria Podersdorf am Neusiedler See
July 10 Tour of Austria, Stage 8 UCI Europe Tour  Brown, Graeme Graeme Brown (AUS)  Austria Vienna
August 6 Tour de Pologne, Stage 6 UCI ProTour  Mollema, BaukeBauke Mollema (NED)  Poland Terma Bukowina Tatrz
August 20 Eneco Tour, Stage 3 UCI ProTour  Moerenhout, KoosKoos Moerenhout (NED)  Belgium Ronse
August 20 Tour du Limousin, Youth classification UCI Europe Tour  Langeveld, SebastianSebastian Langeveld (NED)  France
August 20 Tour du Limousin, Teams classification UCI Europe Tour [N 3]  France
September 5 Grote Prijs Jef Scherens UCI Europe Tour  Boom, LarsLars Boom (NED)  Belgium Rondom Leuven
September 12 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal UCI ProTour  Gesink, RobertRobert Gesink (NED)  Canada Montreal
September 15 Grand Prix de Wallonie UCI Europe Tour  Martens, PaulPaul Martens (GER)  Belgium Namur
October 9 Giro dell'Emilia UCI Europe Tour  Gesink, RobertRobert Gesink (NED)  Italy San Luca
October 10 Paris–Tours UCI Europe Tour  Freire, ÓscarÓscar Freire (ESP)  France Tours

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Freire was originally relegated to second place in this stage despite crossing the finish line first, though when all of Alejandro Valverde's 2010 wins were vacated due to his suspension, Freire became the stage winner.
  2. ↑ Freire originally finished second to Valverde in this stage, but was awarded the victory after all of Valverde's 2010 results were vacated
  3. ↑ The riders on the squad were Mauricio Ardila, Steven Kruijswijk, Sebastian Langeveld, Dennis van Winden, Grischa Niermann, Laurens Ten Dam, Dmitry Kozontchuk and Tom Stamsnijder

References

  1. ↑ Horrillo decides to retire
  2. ↑ Cycling News (2010-02-08). "McEwen returns to winners' circle in Mallorca". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  3. 1 2 Cycling News (2009-10-31). "Menchov to focus on Tour, skip Giro defense". Cycling News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
  4. ↑ Jean-François Quénet (2010-05-07). "Rabobank racing Giro d'Italia without expectations for title defence". Cycling News. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  5. ↑ Susan Westemeyer (2010-05-04). "Rabobank celebrates Giro with special jersey". Cycling News. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
  6. ↑ Cycling News (2010-05-08). "Wiggins wins Giro opener". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  7. ↑ Cycling News (2010-05-09). "Farrar fastest in Utrecht". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  8. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-05-10). "Weylandt takes chaotic stage". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  9. ↑ Les Clarke and Stephen Farrand (2010-05-12). "Liquigas-Doimo fly to TTT victory". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 13 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  10. ↑ Peter Hymas and Jean-François Quénet (2010-05-13). "Pineau nabs Quick Step's second stage". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 15 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  11. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-05-17). "Goss sprints to victory in Cava de' Tirreni". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  12. ↑ Susan Westemeyer (2010-05-22). "Nibali solos into Asolo". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  13. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-05-26). "Monier finally gets first pro win in Pejo Terme". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  14. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-05-27). "Greipel sprints to stage victory in Brescia". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  15. ↑ Cycling News (2010-05-29). "Tschopp nets first Swiss stage win since Zulle". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  16. ↑ Stephen Farrand (2010-05-30). "Basso wins Giro d'Italia". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  17. ↑ "Top contenders to win 2010 Tour de France". NBCsports.msnbc.com. NBC Universal Inc. 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
  18. ↑ Bonnie D. Ford (2010-07-06). "2010 Tour de France: Top contenders". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
  19. ↑ Jason Devaney (2010-06-23). "Tour de France contender: Denis Menchov". Universal Sports.com. NBC Universal Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  20. ↑ Andrew Hood (2010-06-22). "Denis Menchov, Robert Gesink, to lead Rabobank at Tour de France". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
  21. ↑ Cycling News (2010-07-03). "Cancellara wins prologue time trial". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  22. ↑ Neal Rogers (2010-07-05). "The Stockeau Massacre: Damage assessment after the Tour de France's second stage". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  23. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-07-07). "Take two for Ale-Jet". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  24. ↑ Richard Moore (2010-07-10). "Chavanel races to victory in first mountains stage". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  25. ↑ Richard Moore (2010-07-11). "Advantage Schleck on first major mountain stage". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  26. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-07-13). "Casar claims stage win for France". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  27. ↑ Richard Moore (2010-07-18). "Riblon stellar in Ax-3 Domaines". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  28. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-07-19). "Voeckler victorious in Bagneres-de-Luchon". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  29. ↑ Les Clarke (2010-07-22). "Schleck takes stage win atop Col du Tourmalet". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  30. ↑ Hedwig Kröner (2010-07-24). "Contador bests Schleck, remains in yellow". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  31. ↑ Anthony Tan (2010-07-25). "Tres victorias de Francia para Contador!". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
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