After nine years at LottoNL-Jumbo and its predecessors, Laurens ten Dam (34) will realize his dream next year: to live in the US and ride in Europe. Team Giant-Alpecin have given him the chance to make it happen.

"This team is currently forming a block to assist Tom Dumoulin and Warren Barguil in the mountains,” he told Wielerrevue. “I have been signed with that particular task to support those guys and to share my experience. That ambition really appeals to me. On the other hand, I hope that the team can also make me a bit better. But one important aspect is that I can live in the United States and combine it with big European races with Giant-Alpecin.

"Of course I have to get used to the new team. Some cyclists have a kind of blueprint for a cycling season and want an exact copy for the following year. Me too. In January of this year, I went back to look at my logs from 2014 and 2013 because those were good years. How did I train and for how long? This season was no success so I have already thrown that blueprint in the trash. But I don’t consider myself as a rider that has finished my development. I'm still very eager to learn new training methods, for example.”

Ten Dam has never made a secret of the fact that he wants to live in America.
 

"Especially the American mentality appeals to me,” he said. “The people take their chances. Europeans always see the obstacles much earlier. When I'm in California, I just feel chill. I also want to do some training camps in Truckee, a town at two thousand meters of altitude. I've been going there for two years and know so many people. I want them to meet my family. In April, I have a free month and maybe I can do a few small American races. That is not the main goal, but it definitely has its charm.”