After the last three tumultuous seasons, Team LottoNL-Jumbo are looking forward to spending the 2015 season focussing solely on results, safe in the knowledge they have sponsorship for the next few seasons.
“Ever since Rabobank left, this is the first season that we’ve had real stability,” sport director Merijn Zeeman told VeloNews. “We have strong support not just from one sponsor, but from several, so it makes for a bright future. It gives everyone extra motivation.”
Despite losing several riders in the offseason, the team cans till rely on solid GC riders like Steven Kruikswijk, Laurens Ten Dam, Wilco Kelderman and Robert Gesink, as well as Moreno Hofland in the sprints and Sep Vanmarcke for the Cobbled Classics.
Gesink and Kelderman lead at the Tour de France this year, with Ten Dam for support and back up leadership, with Kruijswijk taking leadership in the Giro.
“Gesink is coming into the season looking very strong. He’s excited to be racing again. He’s had so many problems the past few years,” he said. “We also have [Laurens] Ten Dam for the Tour, so I think we will be on very solid footing.”
“Wilco is a very special talent,” Zeeman said. “He’s already proven he can race at the WorldTour level. We will bring him to the Tour, without pressure, but he will have a big future. Wilco is already looking stronger than last year. He is young, there is no pressure, but he is ambitious to race.”
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