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64-618: Visma–Lease a Bike is a Dutch professional bicycle racing team, successor of the former Rabobank . The team consists of four sections: ProTeam (the UCI WorldTeam team), Women's Team (the UCI Women's Team ), Development Team (a UCI Continental team racing in the UCI Europe Tour ), and cyclo-cross . The cycling team was founded for the 1984 season under the name Kwantum–Decosol , anchored by Jan Raas , with mostly cyclists coming from

128-581: A 1,200 m (3,900 ft) race on the 31 May 1868 at the Parc de Saint-Cloud , Paris , France. It was won by expatriate Englishman James Moore who rode a wooden bicycle with solid rubber tires . The machine is now on display at the museum in Ely , Cambridgeshire , England. The Union Cycliste Internationale was founded on 14 April 1900 by Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland to replace

192-422: A Bike. Since 1984, the team has entered every Tour de France and since the introduction of divisions in 1998, the team has always been in the first division . A 2012 investigation by Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant concluded that doping was at least tolerated, from the team's 1996 beginnings as Rabobank until at least 2007. Team Jumbo-Visma cyclist Jonas Vingegaard won the 2022 Tour de France , delivering

256-513: A dirt course of jumps and banked and flat corners. Cycle speedway is bicycle racing on short outdoor dirt tracks, 70–90 m (230–300 ft) in length. Motor-paced racing and keirin use motorcycles for pacing, so cyclists achieve higher speeds. Gravel racing is one of the newest disciplines of bicycle racing, emerging in the 21st century. For example, one of the premiere gravel races, Unbound Gravel , started in 2006. Some precursors to gravel racing in its current form include road races like

320-463: A fixed gear bicycle with no brakes or freewheel. The ball is controlled by the bike and the head, except when defending the goal. Cycle Polo is a team sports sport that combines elements of traditional horse polo with bicycling and is played on grass. Cycle Polo's was included in the 1908 London Olympics as a demonstration sport. The game has become particularly popular in India. Hardcourt Bike Polo

384-469: A grand tour after Michael Boogerd 's fifth place in the 1998 Tour de France . Heras was later disqualified for doping and Menchov was made the winner. In 1999 Menchov focused on the Tour de France where the team rode strongly with Menchov, Boogerd, and Rasmussen. During the 2007 Tour de France , Rabobank fired Michael Rasmussen ( 2005 Tour de France , 2006 Tour de France K.O.M. ) for code-violations while he

448-617: A mile in length and sometimes run for a set time (60 min, 90 min, etc.) rather than a specific distance. Criteriums are the most popular form of road racing in North America. In Belgium, kermesses are popular, single-day events of usually over 120 km (70 mi). As well as road races in which all riders start simultaneously, individual time trial and team time trial events are also held on road-based courses. Track cycling has been around since as early as 1870. The riders competed on wooden indoor tracks that closely resembled

512-459: A new foundation yet to be established. On 13 December 2012, the team announced it would participate in 2013 under the Blanco name and intended to either find a sponsor for 2014 or stop the team. During the 2013 Giro d'Italia it emerged that the technology firm Belkin was a possible new sponsor. The deal was confirmed towards the end of May 2013, and the team's new identity was launched a week before

576-493: A sport for road racers during the off season, to vary their training during the cold months. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or World Cup season is September–January) and consist of many laps of a 2–3 km (1–2 mi) course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills, and obstacles requiring the rider to dismount, carry the bike and remount in one motion. Races for senior categories are generally between 30 minutes and an hour long,

640-488: Is a more popular, fast-paced, and physically demanding variation of Cycle Polo played on hard surfaces such as asphalt or concrete. In teams of three, players maneuver their bicycles while using mallets to strike a ball into the opposing team's goal. Originating in Seattle in the late 1990s, hardcourt bike polo has since gained a sharp spike in popularity worldwide, with organized leagues and tournaments held in urban centers across

704-564: Is included in the UCI Europe Tour ; in 2016 it was upgraded to a 1.HC event , the same ranking as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but Omloop was upgraded to UCI World Tour level in 2017 . Despite tandeming with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, no rider has ever won the Omloop and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne on the same weekend. As it is run in late winter, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne has often been affected by poor weather. The race had to be cancelled three times because of snow or frost – in 1986, 1993 and 2013. The 2010 event

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768-528: Is recognised as an Olympic sport . Bicycle races are popular all over the world, especially in Europe. The countries most devoted to bicycle racing include Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Other countries with international standing include Australia, Luxembourg, Slovenia, United Kingdom, United States and Colombia. The first bicycle race is popularly held to have been

832-491: Is similar to motorcycle trials . Points are awarded for bike handling skills. The first UCI Trials World Championships took place in 1986. Freestyle BMX is an extreme sport of stunt riding BMX bikes . Artistic cycling is a discipline where athletes perform tricks (called exercises) in a format similar to ballet or gymnastics. Cycle ball , also known as "radball" (from German), is a sport similar to association football played on bicycles. The two people on each team ride

896-700: The 2013 Tour de France until the end of 2015. In 2015, Lotto, a Dutch lottery, agreed to sponsor the Team for four years. Between 2015 and 2023, the team was sponsored by a Dutch supermarket chain, Jumbo . The "NL" was added to the team's name to differentiate it from Lotto–Soudal , a ProTeam that is sponsored by the national lottery of Belgium. In 2019, the team began a long-term contract with Norwegian business software provider Visma for at least five years, therefore becoming Team Jumbo–Visma. From 2021 team will have new bicycle partnership with Cervélo , ending previous sponsorship with Bianchi lasting from 2014 to 2020. In 2024,

960-405: The 2013 Tour de France . The team formerly rode Colnago frames, but as of 1 January 2009 began a two-year contract riding Giant frames equipped with Shimano components. Starting in 2014, Bianchi supplies the team bicycles. The team began a two-year contract (2014–2016) wearing Santini SMS clothing. The team struck a deal for consumer electronics company Belkin to sponsor the team from

1024-647: The Flemish Ardennes where a number of hills feature, before finishing in Kuurne after approximately 200 km. The route in the hill zone changes every year, but some of the regular climbs include Edelareberg, La Houppe, Kanarieberg , Kruisberg , Oude Kwaremont , Tiegemberg and Nokereberg. With a long and flat run-in to the finish, the course is less selective than the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The race ends with two local laps around Kortrijk and Kuurne. With

1088-539: The International Cycling Association , which had been formed in 1892, over a row with Great Britain as well as because of other issues. Since the rise of the Olympic Movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics , cycling has been a contestant event in every Summer Olympic Games . Road bicycle racing involve both team and individual competition, and races are contested in various ways. They range from

1152-609: The Ronde van Nederland was won as well. That year, the team had the winner of the Dutch national road race championships again, as Peter Winnen won the race. In 1991, the team won the Amstel Gold Race , the Ronde van Nederland and Tour of Flanders . The team had taken over Steven Rooks from the Panasonic team, who immediately became the Dutch national road race champion. The worst year in

1216-453: The TI–Raleigh cycling team. With Raas as directeur sportif from 1985 onwards, the head sponsor was succeeded by Superconfex , Buckler , WordPerfect and Novell , respectively, before Raas signed a contract with Rabobank , a Dutch association of credit unions, in 1996. After Rabobank sponsorship ended in 2012, it was known as Blanco , Belkin , Lotto- Jumbo , Jumbo–Visma and now Visma-Lease

1280-536: The Tour de France , Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España to multi-day stage races such as the Tour de Suisse and Tour of California , to single day "Classics" such as the Tour of Flanders and Milan–San Remo . The longest one-day road race sanctioned by USA Cycling is LOTOJA which covers the 206 mi (332 km) from Logan, Utah , to Jackson, Wyoming . Criteriums are races based on circuits typically less than

1344-697: The Tour of the Battenkill and Boulder–Roubaix (named after Paris–Roubaix ) which are road races with gravel sections. The distinguishing features of gravel racing include long distances, often 100 to 200 mi (160 to 320 km), and mass starts that include all categories of racers, similar to Gran Fondo rides. The bicycles and courses in gravel racing vary widely, from road bicycles with wide tires used on smooth gravel roads to bicycles that are similar to mountain bike used on courses that include technical trails. Speeds achieved on indoor tracks are usually greater than those on roads. Other factors affecting speed are

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1408-496: The Vuelta a España respectively, making the team the first to win all three Grand Tours in a single calendar year. In road bicycle racing , teams usually take their names from their main sponsors. The team has had the following sponsors, and thus names. After the season of 1983, the TI–Raleigh team split up because of tension between former world champion Jan Raas and team leader Peter Post , with seven cyclists following Post to

1472-449: The points classification . The team had to wait until 2009 for the first successes in the Giro d'Italia , when Denis Menchov won two stages; a mountain finish and a time trial. This second win earned him the pink leader jersey, which the team defended to the end of the race, earning Menchov, and Rabobank, their third Grand Tour GC win. The Rabobank cyclo-cross team has dominated the sport in

1536-439: The 120 km (70 mi) Cootamundra Annual Classic it is 11.8 metres per second (42 km/h; 26 mph). In the 259 km (200 mi) 2010 Paris–Roubaix , Fabian Cancellara set a speed of 10.9 metres per second (39 km/h; 24 mph), while over the 818 km (500 mi) Furnace Creek 508 , the speed drops dramatically to 8.3 metres per second (30 km/h; 19 mph). For an extreme road distance such as

1600-456: The 1989 season, Jean-Paul van Poppel changed to the Panasonic team . In 1989 his sprinting capacities were missed, and the number of victories was reduced. Still, Paris–Brussels , the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Tours were won, together with two stages in the 1989 Tour de France . After the 1989 season, the main sponsoring was taken over by Buckler . The Tour of Belgium was won again, and

1664-464: The 2000 cyclo-cross world championships there was a conflict between the commercial team interests and the national team interests. Groenendaal attacked during the first lap and was chased by defending cyclo-cross world champion Mario De Clercq who was followed by Groenendaal's Rabobank teammate Sven Nys . Team manager Jan Raas allegedly told Nys not to cooperate in the chase and De Clercq was unable to catch Groenendaal. Nys received much criticism from

1728-521: The 4,800 km (3,000 mi) Race Across America , the average speed of the record holder is 5.7 metres per second (21 km/h; 13 mph), while the 2,350 km (1,000 mi) Freedom Trail over mountainous terrain in South Africa is at a record speed of 1.9 metres per second (6.8 km/h; 4.3 mph). Mountain bike trials is a sport where riders navigate natural and human-made obstacles without putting down their foot, or "dabbing". It

1792-487: The Belgian team manager Erik De Vlaeminck as well as the Belgian public. Jan Raas was the team manager for the first eight years of the team's existence. In 2003 Raas was removed rather abruptly which surprised the other members of staff including Theo De Rooy , Erik Dekker and Michael Boogerd . De Rooy was promoted to team manager and a former Rabobank rider, who had been working as a PR man for Rabobank, Erik Breukink ,

1856-601: The Kwantum team had a successful year. Victories included two Tour de France stages, the Tour of Luxembourg , Paris–Tours , Paris–Brussels , the Tirreno–Adriatico , the Tour of Belgium , again the Dutch national road championship, and the World cycling championship ( Joop Zoetemelk ). 1986 was less successful; the most important victory was Tour of Belgium . For the 1987 season, the main sponsor became Superconfex. In that year,

1920-490: The Mountains Classification of the 2005 Tour de France . When Denis Menchov took the lead in the 2005 Vuelta a España , he was not expecting to be competing for the overall classification The Rabobank team at that year's Vuelta were not seen as particularly strong or able to assist Menchov in the mountain stages. Menchov finished second to Roberto Heras which was the highest placing of a Rabobank team rider at

1984-515: The Rabobank team while Theo de Rooy, Adrie van Houwelingen and Zoetemelk were directeur sportifs . As a Dutch cycling team , the team signed many of the prominent Dutch cyclists of the 1990s including Adri van der Poel , Richard Groenendaal and Erik Breukink as well as keeping the prominent Dutch cyclists from the Novell team that included Léon van Bon , Erik Dekker and Michael Boogerd . In addition,

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2048-450: The Swiss blood doping expert. Matschiner mentioned Michael Boogerd , the most successful Dutch Rabobank rider, and said one other team member was a customer. Theo de Rooij , Rabobank's manager since 2003 and responsible for pulling Michael Rasmussen from the 2007 Tour de France , did not deny doping was used by team riders but said that the use of doping was neither suggested nor paid for by

2112-464: The Tour de France for Jean-Paul van Poppel. Joop Zoetemelk ended his career with a victory in the Amstel Gold Race . From 1988 on, the team was known as Superconfex – Yoko – Opel – Colnago . 1988 was also a successful season for the team, with victories in Paris–Brussels , the Tour of Ireland , the Tour of Belgium , the Amstel Gold Race , and six stages in the Tour de France . In

2176-504: The UCI World Cup in 2001 due to his Classic win and high placings in many of the classics. The team signed American Levi Leipheimer in 2002 as a rider for the Tour de France . Leipheimer finished eighth in his first Tour but crashed out of the race on the first stage of the 2003 Tour de France . Leipheimer finished ninth overall the following year. The team became more of a Grand Tour team as could be seen by Michael Rasmussen 's win in

2240-536: The distance varying depending on the conditions. The sport is strongest in traditional road cycling countries such as Belgium (Flanders in particular) and France. Mountain bike races are held off-road and involve moderate to high degree of technical riding. There are several varieties; the main categories are cross-country , enduro and downhill but also 4X or four-cross racing. BMX takes place off-road. BMX races are sprints on purpose-built off-road single-lap tracks, typically on single-gear bicycles. Riders navigate

2304-477: The end of 2012. Rabobank said that doping was so rampant that it was "no longer convinced the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport." The team was able to continue, as Rabobank agreed to fund the team during 2013 until a new sponsor could be found. The deadline for finding new sponsorship was the end of the 2013 UCI World Tour . Racing under the name Blanco to refer to its formally unsponsored status, Tom-Jelte Slagter of

2368-495: The end of 2024. It ended its sponsorship of the team at the end of 2023, and the team was renamed Visma – Lease A Bike, with Lease A Bike becoming a main sponsor after being a minor one in 2023. The road racing team has won several Classics such as the Tour of Flanders in 1997, Championship of Hamburg in 1998, the Amstel Gold Race in 1999 and 2001, Paris–Tours in 1999, 2004 and 2010, Clásica de San Sebastián in 2000 and Milan–San Remo in 2004, 2007 and 2010. Erik Dekker won

2432-528: The event to Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne nonetheless. For many decades, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne serves as the second race of the opening weekend in Belgium, after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, as well as the first weekend of racing in Northwestern Europe . Although second after the Omloop , and considered the smaller of the two events, it holds significant prestige because of its calendar date. Since 2005 it

2496-483: The globe. Kuurne%E2%80%93Brussels%E2%80%93Kuurne Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-day road cycling race in Belgium. It is held one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad , on the last Sunday of February or the first of March, and completes the opening weekend of the Belgian cycling season. It was ranked a 1.HC event of the UCI Europe Tour before joining the UCI ProSeries in 2020. Tom Boonen holds

2560-433: The latter seemed to have a better chance at winning) abandoned the race in the middle of the stage. The Rabobank team was invited for the 2008 Tour de France . Denis Menchov had decided to focus on the Tour de France. To do that, he did not defend his Vuelta a España -title, and rode the 2008 Giro d'Italia as preparation for the Tour de France. Menchov finished 4th place in the 2008 Tour de France , and Óscar Freire won

2624-471: The modern velodromes of today. Unlike road racing, which is dependent on environmental factors, indoor tracks ensure the sport can be competed all year round. It encompasses races that take place on banked tracks or velodromes . Events are quite diverse and can range from individual and team pursuits , two-man sprints, to various group and mass start races. Competitors use track bicycles which do not have brakes or freewheels. Cyclo-cross originated as

Visma–Lease a Bike (men's team) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-453: The most important being Three Days of De Panne and the Tour DuPont . In 1993 and 1994, Michael Boogerd and Léon van Bon started their professional career in the team, and Viatcheslav Ekimov also came. The Tour DuPont was won again, together with the Tour de Luxembourg . The year still was disappointing with only 25 victories. In 1995, the team was joined by Djamolidine Abdoujaparov ,

2752-501: The most wins with three victories. First held in 1946, the race was run from Kuurne , a small town known for its textile industry , to the Belgian capital of Brussels and back. In the 1950s it served as the opening race of the Belgian cycling season. When Brussels was becoming inaccessible for a cycling event in the late 1960s, the race was rerouted towards the Flemish Ardennes and renamed "Omloop der beide Vlaanderen" ("Circuit of both Flanders") . In 1979 organizers decided to rename

2816-471: The new Panasonic -team and six cyclists joining Raas to the Kwantum team. The team captains of the Kwantum team were Guillaume Driessens, Jan Gisbers and Walter Godefroot . In their first year, the team managed to win the intermediate sprints classification and one stage in the 1984 Tour de France , the Amstel Gold Race and the Dutch national road championship. After the 1984 season, Jan Raas stopped as an active cyclist and became team manager. In 1985

2880-523: The one-day road race, criterium , and time trial to multi-stage events like the Tour de France and its sister events which make up cycling's Grand Tours . The races typically take place from spring through to autumn. Many riders from the Northern Hemisphere spend the winter in countries such as Australia to compete or train. Professional races range from the three-week "Grand Tour" stage races such as

2944-650: The past with Sven Nys and Richard Groenendaal winning the General Classification competitions such as the Superprestige, the World Cup and the Gazet van Antwerpen trophy over the last eight years. Groenendaal dominated the Dutch cyclo-cross championships for many years. Groenendaal left the team after the 2006–2007 season. He was at that time one of the few remaining Rabobank riders from the 1996 team. Lars Boom joined

3008-554: The route profile (flats and hills), wind conditions, temperatures and elevation. At a 2013 event in Mexico, François Pervis achieved an average of 21.40 metres per second (77.0 km/h; 47.9 mph) with a flying start over 200 m (660 ft). The top average speed over the men's 1 km (0.6 mi) time trial at the 2004 Summer Olympics was 16.4 metres per second (59 km/h; 37 mph) recorded by Chris Hoy . Average speeds clearly drop with increasing distance, so that over

3072-492: The team announced LottoNL had agreed to extend their sponsorship of the team through to the end of the 2018 season. After signing a new sponsorship deal with Visma , a Norwegian software company, the team was renamed to Team Jumbo–Visma on 1 January 2019. From the start of 2021, the team has a new bicycle sponsor, Cervélo , and the team is equipped with disc brakes instead of rim brakes. Jumbo, under new corporate leadership, planned to stop sponsoring professional sports by

3136-464: The team became Visma–Lease a Bike, following sponsorship by German company Lease a Bike. According to a 2012 investigation by de Volkskrant , doping was used by Rabobank riders since 1998 and condoned by the team, with team physicians actively monitoring the health of those riders. According to Stefan Matschiner, a key witness in the Humanplasma scandal, three (former) Rabobank riders were customers of

3200-410: The team had many successful cyclists of other nationalities such as Edwig van Hooydonck , Rolf Sørensen , Johan Bruyneel and Robbie McEwen . The Rabobank team dominated the Dutch national championships over several disciplines, and had world champions in both cyclo-cross ( Adri van der Poel in 1996, Richard Groenendaal in 2000 and Sven Nys in 2004) and road racing ( Óscar Freire in 2004). In

3264-625: The team in 2002 as a junior cyclo-cross rider and has already achieved success in the Elite cyclo-cross championships as well as showing promise riding in the UCI Europe Tour with the Rabobank Continental team. Rabobank announced in October 2012 that it would end its sponsorship of professional cycling at the end of the year, with the team announcing its intention to continue as a ‘white label’ under

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3328-563: The team its first Tour de France victory in the General Classification , as well as the King of the Mountains title while his team-mate Wout van Aert won the Points Classification title . In 2023 , Vingegaard repeated his feat and Jumbo-Visma won the team classification for the first time. That year, fellow Jumbo-Visma riders Primož Roglič and Sepp Kuss also won the Giro d'Italia and

3392-529: The team was officially known as Superconfex – Kwantum – Yoko – Colnago . Jan Raas remained the team leader. After a victory in Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne for Ludo Peeters , the new sprinter Jean-Paul van Poppel , coming from the Skala cycling team, gave the team a great year, with five stage wins in the Tour de France (of which two for van Poppel) and the victory in the points classification in

3456-514: The team was unveiled in Utrecht as Team LottoNL–Jumbo showing their new black and yellow team kit. Lotto had previously been confirmed as the team's title sponsor, supermarket chain, Jumbo , was presented as the second sponsor of the WorldTour team. In September the team confirmed they would continue to ride on Bianchi bikes for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. On the first rest day of the 2016 Tour de France ,

3520-508: The team won its first stage race, the 2013 Tour Down Under . Belkin was announced as the team's new sponsor in June 2013 with a 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -year deal. In June 2014 they announced that they were exercising a clause in their contract to end their sponsorship of the team at the end of the 2014 season, forcing the team to find a new backer for the second time in 18 months. Subsequently, in July 2014 it

3584-464: The team's history was 1992. Only 26 races were won in the season, compared to 64 victories in the successful 1988 season. 1992 also saw a young Erik Dekker entering the team. After that season, Buckler decided to stop sponsoring. A new sponsor was found in WordPerfect . Steven Rooks left the team, and Raúl Alcalá joined the team. Still, the 1993 season did not turn out well, with only 29 victories,

3648-445: The team. A 2015 USADA report against Dr. Geert Leinders found that he and other team doctors supported and organized a blood doping program within the team for much of the 2000s, which included EPO, blood transfusions, HGH , and cortisones. Riders included in the report that doped during their Rabobank tenure include Denis Menchov , Michael Boogerd , Michael Rasmussen , and Levi Leipheimer . Bicycle racing Bicycle racing

3712-403: The winner of the points classification in the 1994 Tour de France . Abdoujaparov won one stage in the Tour de France , but other than that, the year was still not what the sponsors had hoped, so a new sponsor had to be found. The title sponsor of the previous two years, WordPerfect, was a product of Novell Software, which carried the team's name this one season. Raas became the team manager of

3776-567: Was announced that Belkin would stop sponsoring the cycling team. On 20 July 2014, the team announced they had an agreement in place with the Brand Loyalty skating team. A day later, the team also released the news that the Dutch Lotto will also sponsor the team. On 29 September 2014, the contracts were signed between the two teams, meaning that the new name would be TEAMLottoNL, with the renaming taking effect from 1 January 2015. On 23 October 2014,

3840-496: Was announced that the team had signed a formal declaration of intent with the Dutch lottery Lotto and marketing agency BrandLoyalty which would ensure their backing for two years, with an option for an additional two years. As part of the deal the cycling team would join forces with the BrandLoyalty speed skating team managed by Jac Orie and featuring Olympic and World Champions Sven Kramer and Stefan Groothuis . In June 2014 it

3904-463: Was cancelled because of snow, before thaw set in on the night before the Sunday race. Despite its name, the route does not actually extend to Brussels. The race starts on the hippodrome of Kuurne , in the south of West Flanders , before heading east in the direction of Brussels, but its easternmost point is somewhere near Ninove , 23 km west of Brussels. After the turning point, the race addresses

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3968-433: Was in the yellow jersey . The remaining riders of the Rabobank team were given the choice to start the 17th stage without Michael Rasmussen, or to withdraw. That evening they decided to withdraw, but the team changed its mind and announced the following morning that the riders would be starting the 17th stage. Although he started with the rest of the team, Denis Menchov (team leader on the road, who deferred to Rasmussen when

4032-499: Was named as the new directeur sportif to replace De Rooy. In August 2007 in the aftermath of the affair in which Michael Rasmussen was removed during the 2007 Tour de France , De Rooy resigned from his position as team manager. Following the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report on doping in professional cycling in October 2012, Rabobank announced it would end its sponsorship of professional cycling at

4096-412: Was run in extreme weather as the remnants of cyclone Xynthia hit Belgium, with strong winds and torrential rain ravaging the peloton. The race had to be shortened by 20 km because a fallen tree obstructed the road. The edition was won by Dutch outsider Bobbie Traksel ; only 26 of 195 riders finished the race. In 2004 Kuurne served as the opening race of the season, after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

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