Despite their status as the biggest Dutch team, Belkin haven't won the road race chanpionships in their home country since Koes Moerenhout took the title in 2009. This year they plan to use their numerical advantage to win the race and line up a very strong 15-rider roster for the event.

The Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM plans to light up the Dutch national road championship in Ootmarsum, Overijssel, for the fans with fifteen eager riders. 

"People can expect that we are going to make it a real race," said Sports Director Merijn Zeeman. "We will ride offensively. We want to show who we are, and make it an attractive race for the fans." 

"We are the team with the most riders starting, but it should not be forgotten that there are also many good Dutch riders in the other teams. Think of Tom Dumoulin, Sebastian Langeveld, Tom-Jelte Slagter Niki Terpstra and Pieter Weening -- real contenders. This means that we are not automatically going to control the race and be able to strike when we want. We are going to fight for what we're worth and work hard to get into the final and in a favourable position for the Dutch title.” 
 

Moreno Hofland and Barry Markus are not able to participate on Sunday.

“It’s a hefty loss,” said Zeeman. “They could’ve been very important for a possible sprint finish.”

Marc Goos will give the championships a miss due to an injury and Bauke Mollema is resting with the Tour de France coming up. 
 

Lars Boom won the national championships in 2008, the year the race ran over the same parcours in Ootmarsum.

“I'm glad I’ve been able to win in the past. It would be nice to do it again this year. The red, white and blue jersey is very special to wear in the Tour de France. Last year, the parcours in Limburg was extremely hard, but in Ootmarsum, our majority can work in our favour.” 
 

Maarten Tjallingii calls the national championship a special race and knows exactly what's at stake.

"The winner is allowed to pull on that red-white-blue jersey for a whole year. Everyone is always very motivated and so am I. I feel good, but when I look around me I see several of our guys who are looking strong, as well. It's important that we fight Sunday's battle as a team. If we do that, we have the best chance of winning. You must dare to lose, in order to win." 

Tjallingii said that it’s difficult to predict how the race will unfold.

"It's going to be a very long and hard race. It's going to be a real fight. We will need to stay focused, because the wide roads are repeatedly interspersed with narrow paths. It will be an open race in which we have to support each other in the breakaways. It certainly is going to be a great race." 
 

TEAM line-up:

Lars Boom, Theo Bos, Stef Clement, Laurens ten Dam, Jos van Emden, Rick Flens, Robert Gesink, Martijn Keizer, Wilco Kelderman, Steven Kruijswijk, Tom Leezer, Nick van der Lijke, Bram Tankink, Maarten Tjallingii and Dennis van Winden.