Last Monday, the Skil-Shimano cycling team was presented to the international media in Rotterdam – the city where the Tour de France will start in precisely 169 days. The riders also explored the course of the prologue that will get the 97th Tour underway on 3 July.
Skil-Shimano welcomes six new riders in 2010: Belgian Dominique Cornu, Dutchmen Job Vissers and Robin Chaigneau, Frenchmen Alexandre Geniez and Yann Huguet, and Norwegian Frederik Wilmann. ‘The team and the organisation have been strengthened in terms of both quantity and quality, while the core of the team has been retained. We have a good set of riders for 2010, which the staff have every confidence in,’ said team boss Iwan Spekenbrink. Skil-Shimano again have three Chinese riders in the team in 2010. Their development is something the team works on intensively within regular operations. ‘The young Chinese riders have come on great strides in all areas over the past two years,’ said Iwan Spekenbrink. ‘We expect them to be ready to take part in more international races this season.’
Skil-Shimano team policy in 2010 will be expanded, based on the same six key values as last year: international focus (pan-European orientation with links to China and Japan), team spirit, investments in rider and staff development, ethics (practising sport in accordance with the strictest ethical guidelines), innovation and responsible stewardship of the environment. As well as investing in sporting growth and the development of its riders, Skil-Shimano also wants to be a responsible steward of the environment in which the riders compete. With this in mind, the team fleet will run completely CO2 neutral in 2010. Skil-Shimano has also taken on the role of ambassador of Trees for Travel, a foundation that invests in people that plant forests and use sustainable energy in developing countries, thus creating the right conditions for the local population to build a better future and ensuring that more CO2 is taken out of the air.
In 2010 Skil-Shimano will also invest efforts to optimise the sporting side of things. The organisation will be beefed up further with specific knowledge, not least of psychological-analytical aspects. 2010 sees the introduction of a structured scouting model to better identify international potential. The goals for the season are continued sporting growth at the highest level and, after the successful debut in 2009’s Tour de France, participation in one or two major tours.
Skil-Shimano cycling team 2010
Riders: Piet Rooijakkers, Albert Timmer, Tom Veelers, Roy Curvers, Kenny van Hummel, Koen de Kort, Floris Goesinnen, Robin Chaigneau, Job Vissers (all Netherlands), Thierry Hupond, David Deroo, Steve Houanard, Yann Huguet, Alexandre Geniez (France), Robert Wagner, Simon Geschke (Germany), Bert De Backer, Dominique Cornu (Belgium), Yukihiro Doi (Japan), Feng Han, Long Jin, Cheng Ji (China), Frederik Wilmann (Norway), Mitchell Docker (Australia)
General manager: Iwan Spekenbrink (Netherlands)
Directeurs sportifs: Rudie Kemna, Piet Hoekstra, Merijn Zeeman (Netherlands)
For more information about the Skil-Shimano cycling team, visit www.skilcyclingteam.com
