Team Giant-Shimano magazine by Team Giant-Shimano

#KeepChallenging MAGAZINE

TEAM GIANTSHIMANO

An exciting mission On the eve of the 2014 season, Team Giant-Shimano can’t wait to get started and show itself – in various ways. With a proven approach to elite sports, new colors, athletes who have proven themselves and an exciting new overall concept, Team Giant-Shimano is the new kid on the block with a proven sports formula.

Team Giant-Shimano’s mission is to advance the sport of cycling and to “Keep Challenging” our athletes, coaches and equipment to constantly push the limits. It is about connecting with and inspiring passion for cycling among all the people, all around the world,

who ride bikes. It’s a mission that is a natural fit for the team and Giant, as staying close to and being able to contribute to one’s own community is inspiring for everyone involved in the project. The organization’s own “Keep Challenging” elite sports approach – committed to innovation, technology and athlete support – helped the team win 12 Grand Tour stages over the past two seasons, among other outstanding performances. These beautiful moments and great achievements all carry the team’s distinctive signature: teamwork and exciting rising talents. With this formula; with the support of Giant, Shimano and our other loyal partners; and with a young average age and motivated riders and staff, the future is bright. We’ll keep challenging.

Iwan Spekenbrink General Manager 3

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It is significant that world-leading bike brand Giant has committed itself to this project, which includes three integrated programs, all racing as Team GiantShimano: the WorldTour pro men’s program, the pro women’s program and the development program. The idea of presenting a new mission in pro cycling, together with Giant, has been welcomed with great enthusiasm by the riders and the entire organization. And it’s obvious how proud we are of the confidence that Giant has placed in our athletes, our organization and our vision.

Development of Team Giant-Shimano

“From the very first, we worked according to this mission through our core values,” said Poelman. “We created a different way of working and were also very focused on doing this in a ‘clean’ way, especially as many people were talking about doping after the 2008 Operación Puerto.” Spekenbrink reiterated this: “We wanted to do things differently, with a mission, vision and core values and according to strict ethical standards. That year we recruited many young talents, riders who could develop in our team and who agreed with our way of thinking. After all these years, this is still the way we work, and many of the first arrivals have now achieved some of our most important sporting successes.” THE NEW DURA-ACE Shimano’s next-generation DURA-ACE is lighter and sleeker than ever before, in both mechanical and electronic versions. DURA-ACE delivers the control and confidence you need. Concentrate on riding – DURA-ACE does the rest.

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2008 – We started the project and worked on the plan in 2008. Scouting was a very important component at this stage. Some of the people we started with are still working in our organization, for example, Rudi Kemna. It was a year of development and creating the right culture in our organization. 2009 – We rode our first Grand Tour in 2009. Receiving an invitation felt like a big accomplishment for all the staff and riders. We also hired a professional trainer who trained all our athletes so we could supervise everything and develop the best sporting culture possible for our riders.

2010 – It was a bit of a disappointment that we didn’t participate in a Grand Tour in 2010. But the organization nevertheless grew, not only in quality but also in size, as we hired new experts and increased the number of staff and riders. 2011 – In 2011 we won the first stage in a Grand Tour (Vuelta a España) with Marcel Kittel. That was a very special experience for everybody in the team. We saw the riders who had started in 2008 and had developed through the years from young talents to established riders in the team. 2012 – During 2012 we saw not only riders such as Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb winning races but also other riders in other races. The depth of the team increased, and we saw further development of the organization as well. The sporting highlights were the five stage wins at the Vuelta with Degenkolb, and as a result more people heard about our team. 2013 – This was the year of our sporting breakthrough, with John Degenkolb winning a stage in the Giro d’Italia, Marcel Kittel winning four stages in the Tour de France and Warren Barguil winning two stages in the Vuelta. Also, people are beginning to understand our way of working. People see that it works and believe in it. We see this as a great reward after many years of work with ups and downs, but we have always had faith in our approach.

Shift your expectations

Since its creation in 2008, the team has gone through a gradual growth process. Right from the start, the founders of the team, Iwan Spekenbrink and Marloes Poelman, had a clear mission: to create a stable and ideal sporting environment for athletes so they can develop within a culture in which everyone is driven to improve.

2013 1 x Stage Tour of Beijing (WT)

Marcel Kittel

Sparkassen Münsterland Giro (1.1)

Marcel Kittel

John Degenkolb

1x Stage Tour de Wallonie Picarde (2.1)

Paris-Bourges (1.1)

John Degenkolb

Kampioenschap Van Vlaanderen (1.1)

Binche-Chimay-Binche/Mémorial Frank Vandenbroucke (1.1) 2 x Stage Tour de l\’Eurométropole Grote Prijs Jef Scherens – Rondom Leuven (1.1) 2 x Stage Vuelta a Espana (WT) 1 x Stage Arctic Race of Norway (2.1) Vattenfall Cyclassics (WT)

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg John Degenkolb Marcel Kittel Bert de Backer Warren Barguil Nikias Arndt John Degenkolb

1st Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen (1.1) 1x Stage Vuelta a Espana (WT) 1x Stage -Tour of Austria (2.HC) General Classification Delta Tour Zeeland (2.1)

Marcel Kittel

Garmin Pro Race Berlin (1.1)

Marcel Kittel

General Classification Ronde van Drenthe (2.1)

General Classification Tour de Picardie (2.1)

Marcel Kittel

2x Stage Ronde van Drenthe (2.1)

2x Stage Tour de Picardie (2.1)

Marcel Kittel

1x Stage Critérium International (2.HC) 1x Stage Tour De Langkawi (2.HC)

3x Stage Tour of Turkey (2.HC)

Marcel Kittel

2010

Scheldeprijs (1.HC)

Marcel Kittel

4x Tour Of Hainan (2.HC)

Marcel Kittel Marcel Kittel

2012 Grans Prix d’Isbergues (1.1)

John Degenkolb John Degenkolb

2x Stage Eneco Tour (WT) 1x Prologue Vuelta a Andalucia (2.1) 2x Stage Tour of Hainan (2.HC)

1x 34th Route Du Sud - La Dépêche Du Midi (2.1) 2x Stage Delta Tour Zeeland (2.1)

Marcel Kittel Patrick Gretsch Ramon Sinkeldam

1x Stage 64th Tour De Picardie (2.1) Ronde van Overijssel (1.2) Ronde van Noord-Holland (1.2) Hel van het Mergelland (1.1)

Marcel Kittel

1x Stage Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen (2.1)

Omloop van het Houtland (1.1)

Marcel Kittel

2009

1x Stage Tour de Pologne (WT)

John Degenkolb Marcel Kittel

Kenny van Hummel Kenny van Hummel Simon Geschke Marcel Kittel

1x Stage Tour Of Qinghai Lake (2.HC) 1x Stage Delta Tour Zeeland (2.1)

Kenny van Hummel Mitchell Docker Robert Wagner/ Kenny van Hummel/

Kenny van Hummel Job Vissers

Kenny van Hummel Kenny van Hummel

2x Stage Jours de Dunkerque

John Degenkolb

Batavus Prorace (1.1)

Kenny van Hummel

1x Stage 4 Jours de Dunkerque / Tour du

Kenny van Hummel

Scheldeprijs (1.HC)

Marcel Kittel

Nord-pas-de-Calais (2.HC)

Kenny van Hummel

1x Stage Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde (2.HC)

Marcel Kittel

Ronde van Overijssel (1.2)

Kenny van Hummel

2x Stage Tour Of Oman (2.HC)

Marcel Kittel

2008

1x Stage Etoile de Bessèges (2.1)

Marcel Kittel

4x Stage Tour de Pologne (WT)

Kenny van Hum-

1x Stage Delta Tour Zeeland (2.1)

mel/Tom Veelers

1x Stage Tour de Picardie (2.1)

Marcel Kittel

Ronde van Noord-Holland (1.1)

#KeepChallenging

Robert Wagner

Dutch Food Valley Classic (1.HC)

4x Stage Tour of Hainan (2.HC)

Strava: www.strava.com/clubs/Team-Giant-Shimano

Tom Veelers

John Degenkolb

1x Stage Tour de L’Ain (2.1)

Youtube: www.youtube.com/TeamGiantShimano

Robert Wagner

2x Stage Tour de Picardie (2.1)

1 x Stage Tour of Qinghai Lake (2.HC)

Instagram:

Yann Huguet

Tour De Rijke (1.1)

2011

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamGiantShimano

Robert Wagner

John Degenkolb

Yukihiro Doi

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tgiantshimano

Robert Wagner

General Classification Tour de Picardie (2.1)

National Championships Japan - Road Race (NC)

Website: www.teamgiantshimano.com

www.instagram.com/TeamGiantShimano

Dominique Cornu 1x Stage 31st Bayern-Rundfahrt (2.HC)

Sparkassen Münsterland Giro (1.1)

2x Stage Ster ZLM Toer GP Jan van Heeswijk (2.1)

Kenny van Hummel

Mitchell Docker 2x Stage Tour of Belgium (2.HC)

5x Stage Vuelta a Espana (WT)

Marcel Kittel Marcel Kittel

Turkey (2.HC)

1x Stage Paris-Nice (WT)

Roy Curvers

4x Stage 4 Jours de Dunkerque (2.HC) 1x Stage Presidential Cycling Tour of

1x Stage Tour of Oman (2.HC)

Marcel Kittel

Francois Parisien

Kenny van Hummel

Prorace Berlin (1.1)

Marcel Kittel

John Degenkolb

Marcel Kittel

1x Stage Delta Tour Zeeland (2.1)

1x Stage SterZLM Tour (2.1)

1x Stage Giro (WT)

Tom Veelers

Halle-ingooigem (1.1)

4x Stage Tour de France (WT)

1x Stage Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (WT)

2 x Stage Jayco Herald Sun Tour (2.1)

Paris-Tours (1.HC)

Omloop van het Houtland Lichtervelde (1.1)

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Luka Mezgec

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Floris Goesinnen Tom Veelers Robert Wagner Sebastian Siedler Robert Wagner

TEAM GIANT-SHIMANO

results TEAM giant-SHIMANO

RACE PREVIEW Season 2014 Years of dedication and belief in an alternative way of working were rewarded with many sporting successes and another step in the development of the organization last season. Will this season be as successful as last year? What are the team’s goals? We talked with general manager Iwan Spekenbrink about the coming season.

“No one on the team takes things for granted. Sometimes we do follow the normal paths, but quite often we diverge if we believe it could help us improve. With every decision we make each day we ask ourselves, ‘Is this the best way to improve?’ Whether it is training schedules, lineups for races, rider transport or bike build-up, we always have the drive to improve and think differently.

“If we look back on last season, we took another step forward on the sporting side. We became more visible in the finales and played a key role in many races. When we played a key role it often turned out very well, and we were able to take the victory now and then. This year we would like to continue the development process that we have followed since the start of the team. Of course we are aiming for victories and strong performances, but that isn’t our main goal. Our main goal is to be even more driven to improve and to create a sustainable elite sports environment for our athletes; strong performances in the races will come as a result of this.

“We invested a lot this winter in preparation for next season to optimize the collaboration as a team, to make sure that everyone is working 100 percent in line with the common goal. We have formulated this goal together again and discussed each individual’s exact role in the process. So every decision in the overall plan, whether it is lineups, training schedules, tactics or anything else, is tuned and balanced with the involvement of every person who is part of the plan. So everybody works even more closely together, which will hugely benefit the team. “With our new sponsors we have the challenge to create additional value for all parties. We need our sponsors in order to do what we want to do, and they need us to reach their goals. We are aiming this season to create that additional value for the sponsors not only through our race performances but also through the identity of the team and the impact that the team has.” “So if we look back at the end of the season, we will be happy if we have taken another step forward in our process and if we have made the difference through our drive to improve, which is in the end also the essence of top-level sport. We are happy, as the entire team is still looking for improvement and everybody is eager to perform better at the end of the season.”

#KeepChallenging: THE SPRINT 9

“From the very beginning we have always looked to the process,” said Spekenbrink. “Every year we have made progress not only with the riders but also with the coaches, trainers, staff and management. The progress that we make every year is a result of the culture that we have created over the years: we are always driven to improve.

RACE PREVIEW WorldTour Team

Jonas Ahlstrand Country:

Rider type:

Sweden

Sprinter, classic rider

Date of Birth:

Description:

16/02/1990

Chaotic, social and

Height: 177cm

kind

Weight: 72kg Description background After being successful as a trainee, Jonas got the opportunity to join Team Giant-Shimano and take the step to the highest level in pro cycling. Last season was his second year with the team, and he has invested time to become a faster sprinter. His finest hour was two seasons ago, when he won a stage of the Tour of Norway. Jonas is always looking for new gadgets, and he talks a lot with the experts about how to improve his equipment. He is often one of the first riders to test the new kit and pass on his feedback in order to optimize what he uses and make it better.

“We don’t set goals to win a certain number of races; instead, we aim to continue the development process. We want to make the riders who have already won several races more consistent and help other talents whom we haven’t seen as much of so far step up. The continuity of the process, and therefore the development of talent, is the most important thing, and if we manage to do this the results will come.

“In order to further develop our talents we have expanded our coaching staff and attracted new trainers, coaches, experts, mechanics and soigneurs. Most of our staff members are taking courses to develop their specialties. With more developed staff we are able to invest more time in the riders to aid their improvement, which will further develop and benefit the coaching staff even more.

“We have many established riders who can still progress further. World-class riders such as Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb still have room to improve to be more consistent and win more races. Our young sprinting talents who have shown themselves a couple of times, like Nikias Arndt, Luka Mezgec, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Ramon Sinkeldam, are often close to winning. With improvement and a step forward this year, they should be more visible, and I expect them to win more races. Through the confidence that our climbers gained last year, thanks to their strong performances and the fact that they are still young, I expect that riders like Tom Dumoulin, Simon Geschke, Tobias Ludvigsson, Georg Preidler and Warren Barguil will take another step forward and will be more prominent and able to compete at the highest level.

He dreams of one day becoming an Olympic champion. This coming season he wants to further improve his sprinting, and he hopes to take at least one race win.

Q&A Do you have any bothers or sisters? I have one sister who is into cycling as well. She is a pretty good rider.

He talks a lot with the experts about how to improve his equipment. Twitter: @JonasAhlstrand

How did you start cycling? My whole family is into it. So it was quite obvious that I would start cycling as well. As soon as I was on the bike it went very well and I got addicted to it pretty quickly. What are your interests away from cycling? Skiing, but to be honest, I just like cycling a lot. What has been your hardest moment on the bike? The race in Drenthe, that was very tough. 150 kilometres of snow and it was zero degrees. When I got off my bike I could barely move.

Instagram: ahlstrand90 What is your weirdest habit? You have to ask someone else about this. What is your favourite dish? Swedish Tacos/Chickenpie. What is your best recipe? That is the recipe on the Chickenpie, but it’s secret.

“Since the beginning of this team we have worked in a different way from any other team, and we have started a process to reveal true and honest talent. This year we want to continue that process,” said coach Rudi Kemna.

Country:

Rider type:

Germany

sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

18/11/1991

Friendly, open and

Height: 188cm

funny

Weight: 77kg Description background When Nikias moved with his mother to another city, he found that there was no tennis court to play his sport on, so he was forced to start something new. He had always had a hidden interest in cycling, and he soon joined the regular Saturday ride on his mountain bike. After purchasing a road bike and some clothes, and riding a couple of training rides, he started racing, and right from the start it was clear that he could become a good cyclist. After much testing during the winter he saw that he could benefit from improving his power output in order to become a better sprinter, so the team made a plan and worked out how he could progress. He came close to victory several times before finally taking his first win at the Arctic Race of Norway, confirming the step up that he has made this season. Nikias’s personality fits perfectly in the team; he wants to learn from the riders and staff around him and is a big believer in teamwork. He has a great passion for cycling and hopes to be a professional cyclist for many years to come. After successfully finishing the Vuelta this year he wants more and hopes to ride another Grand Tour this coming season. He also wants to cross the line first in a race. His biggest dream is to someday win a stage in the Tour de France.

Q&A Is there any information that we don’t know about you? There is nothing unknown about me, to be honest I am an open book and I always tell everything to everybody.

Warren Barguil Country:

Rider type:

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? You have to be always honest in your life.

France

Climber

Date of Birth:

Description:

28/10/1991

Funny, intelligent and

What was the most important moment in your career? My first start at the 2008 World Championships in the team pursuit in South Africa. I was so unbelievably nervous, it wasn’t normal. As soon as I was on the bike I loved it and when I finished I was so proud. My feelings were on a rollercoaster that day, it was very special.

Height: 183cm

enthusiastic

Which race are you most proud of? Finishing the Vuelta last year (2013). What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Definitely Australia, I have been to Perth and Melbourne and both are amazing. I truly enjoy riding my bike there. What was the hardest moment on the bike in your life? The Vuelta, especially after 10 days it got harder, day-by-day and the pain in my legs wasn’t going away anymore. So every day was really hard, especially those days in the snow and mountains. Which is your favourite race? Unfortunately I didn’t participate in it this year, but it would be Hamburg. My parents are from Hamburg and my first cycling club was Hamburg so for me personally it is a very important race.

Weight: 60kg Description background Warren’s roots lie in BMX. When he was a kid he was always riding and doing stunts on his BMX bike. But when he saw his father going for a ride with his friends, he decided to join them and never went back to BMX again. Warren is one of the most promising general classification riders in France and has already won the biggest U23 stage race in cycling, the Tour de l’Avenir. Warren has been with Team Giant-Shimano since 2011 and has developed both on and off the bike. He has learned to live like a professional and work according to a dedicated training plan, and the team has given him the confidence and support to grow as a general classification rider. He is extraordinarily talented, and the guidance he gets from the team led to his breakthrough last season, when he won two stages in the Vuelta a España. This coming year Warren will invest further in his future development as he aims to become one of the world’s best GC riders. The coaches will adapt his training plan and race schedule to help him further improve his time trialing ability.

What is your favourite dish? Good pasta.

Nikias’s personality fits perfectly in the team; he wants to learn from the riders and staff around him and is a big believer in teamwork.

What would you do with 1 million dollar/euro? Would go for a really nice long holiday with my girlfriend, but after that I wouldn’t change a thing to be honest. I enjoy my life at the moment. I am riding my bike for a living, which is also my passion. I couldn’t wish for more. What is your weirdest habit? Making a good breakfast takes me an hour. I really can’t start the day without a good breakfast. When my girlfriend has to leave at 7, I will wake-up at 6 to start breakfast. Who is your best sports person in the world and why? Marcel Kittel, he won four stages at the Tour and that is really impressive at his young age.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? To always have your goal in mind and stay focused on that. Do you have a nickname? Wada. What has been the most important moment in your career? When I won my first race in 2012. It was shortly after my grandfather died, he was a very important person to me so to dedicate that victory to him was very special. Best result so far? The two stage wins in the Vuelta a España. What is your favourite training session and why? When I’m out climbing a col; I love to climb and the area at the top is always beautiful. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Australia.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would probably be studying now.

What is your best recipe? Everything, I am really good cook. I always do the cooking at home and my girlfriend does the cleaning.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters. I have one sister (24) and a little brother (8). and I also have a girlfriend. They are all very important to me and support me in everything I do.

He has learned to live like a professional and work according to a dedicated training plan, and the team has given him the confidence and support to grow as a general classification rider. Website: www.warrenbarguil.fr Twitter: @WarrenBarguil Facebook: Warren-Barguil

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? When I crashed in an U23 race (World Cup), I collided with another rider after 20km and crashed. As soon as my bike was ready again I stepped back on but I had enormous pain in my elbow. When I finished and went to the paramedics they took me to hospital and discovered that my elbow was broken. I had ridden 120km with a broken elbow. What is your favourite race? The Tour de France and Liège-Bastogne-Liège What is your favourite dish? Couscous prepared by my mother and Chinese food made by my girlfriend. What is your best recipe? Homemade cookies. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? Continue what I am doing now as riding my bike is also my hobby. When I stop cycling I will go on a round-theworld trip with my girlfriend.

Nikias Arndt

Roy Curvers

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

USA

Allround

The Netherlands

Team captain

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

20/02/1992

Focused, funny and

27/12/1979

Ambitious, social and

Height: 177,5cm

entertaining

Height: 188cm

loyal

Weight: 68kg

Weight: 73kg

Description background Lawson got involved in cycling by sitting on the back of his father’s tandem when he was a professional downhill racer. He liked being on the bike and entered a workshop at the velodrome to practice his skills a bit more. At the end of the day, the fastest kid would win a bike. Lawson showed his talent, won the race and started his cycling career.

Description background Roy started cycling by racing with his friends through the streets of his village, but his parents were against that idea, so Roy and his friends joined a club to compete in real bike races. Until the age of 27, he never believed in the possibility of a career as a pro, but his results got better and better, and in 2008 he joined Skil-Shimano, the precursor of Team Giant-Shimano. Joining the team was the most important moment in his cycling career.

This young American rider showed his qualities in the Tour of California last year, where he achieved a top-10 finish in a high-profile race as a youngster. This result confirmed that he could be a stage racer and gave him lots of confidence. The team had already been following him since he was a junior, when they saw his potential. He could have chosen from many teams, but Lawson chose Team Giant-Shimano because of its reputation for developing talent and making riders better through the dedicated guidance that the team provides.

Q&A What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? You can do anything if you put your mind to. As long as you work hard and dedicate yourself to it.

He hopes to be in the sport for the next 15 years and dreams of winning the world championships one day. This coming season is all about gaining experience and soaking up as much as possible.

What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? Tour of California, climbing with the leaders and at the top of the climb my entire family and girlfriend were there. Being able to climb with the best riders of the world in front of my family was very special.

What are your interests away from cycling? American Football, I love to follow that. I also love fishing, this is my favourite weekend activity, waking up at 05.30 and going fishing.

Q&A What are your interests away from cycling? When I’m not busy cycling I try to spend as much time as possible with my lovely daughter and girlfriend. I also like to read; from magazines to books I read everything I can. Sometimes about cycling, sometimes lifestyle, but I’ve read thrillers and I’m currently reading a management book. What was the most important moment in your life? When I was 24 my girlfriend died and all of a sudden I had to be a grown up and realise what is important in life and what isn’t. Something like that teaches you to put everything into perspective. So, especially in a sport like cycling where you can be really busy with small things I can still see the big picture and don’t let that be interrupted by negative thoughts.

Roy is the team captain and played a huge role in Marcel Kittel’s four victories in the Tour de France last season. Cycling has taught Roy that every rider is responsible for his own success; riders must invest in their development with the help of experts and trainers in order to improve. Following the team’s principles he has developed not only as a sportsman but also as a person.

What keeps you going when you’re on the limit? That’s an easy one, I think about my girlfriend who brought our little daughter into the world and that was way more painful than when I think that I’m suffering. So, that’s what keeps me going.

He is looking to develop his skills as a team captain by watching and analyzing coaching techniques in other sports and businesses with the team coaches. He will also invest in training and has made a plan together with the trainers to reach a higher basic level of fitness. Hopefully this season he can fulfill his biggest dream in cycling, to become national champion.

Do you have a nickname? Curve man. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? Long-time process server, the job I had before I signed with the team.

What was the hardest moment on the bike in your life? Every single race I feel like I push myself beyond my limits and end up completely destroyed. It’s always hard.

What part of cycling do you enjoy the most? You get to know many different cultures and see the most beautiful parts of the world.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would take over my dad’s company.

He hopes to be in the sport for the next 15 years and dreams of winning the world championships one day. Twitter: @lawsoncraddock Facebook: LawsonCycling

Do you have any pets? A dog, it is the best dog ever and is really a part of the family. What is your favourite dish? Chinese food. When I go home I always go out for dinner to a special Chinese place near to where I grew up. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? I am too dumb to have 1 million dollars! If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Go to space and check out the universe.

Strava: pros/lcraddock What is your weirdest habit? When I am eating a Mc flurry for some reason I prefer to only eat the ice cream and spit all the M&Ms back out.

He is looking to develop his skills as a team captain by watching and analyzing coaching techniques in other sports and businesses with the team coaches. Website: www.roycurvers.nl Twitter: @RoyCurvers

What has been the best prank that you have pulled? Our mechanic was sleeping on the back of the car when we were riding back from a race. All of the sudden I stood on the broke and screamed that there was a crash. We scared the hell out of him as he really believed that we were in the middle of the race. Do you have any pets? We have a rabbit. What would you do with 1 million dollar/euro? I would buy a big house. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would like to have another child. What is your weirdest habit? I always need to be at the front of the bunch during the neutralisation zone. If I don’t see the front of the bunch I know I will have bad luck.

Lawson Craddock

Bert de Backer

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

France

Climber

Belgium

Classics rider

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

18/03/1989

Smart, serious,

02/04/1984

Impulsive, stable factor,

Height: 173cm

optimistic and quiet

Height: 183cm

sociable

Weight: 64kg Description background After trying many sports such as gymnastics, soccer, tennis and others, he ended up with cycling and fell in love with the sport right away. In 2010, when Thomas was a trainee with the team, he made a big impression and the team did not hesitate to offer him a contract. This quiet Frenchman experienced one of his best seasons in 2013. Finishing his first Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia was the most important moment in his career, and winning the climber’s jersey at the Dauphine is his best result so far. Thomas has a wide variety of interests. In addition to his interest in economics, he is also eager to learn about the body and training and is always asking the trainers questions to gain from their knowledge. This season he hopes to win his first race as a professional and to ride the Tour de France. He has no dreams in cycling, only goals, and one of his biggest goals is to win a stage of the Tour de France.

Q&A Is there any information that we don’t know about you? There’s a lot that people don’t know about me yet. Did you know that I am very interested in economics and the news? Or did you know that I am extremely organised, every centimetre in my suitcase is organised. I really don’t like chaos. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? When you have a job give your full 100%. You will always benefit from this, even if it doesn’t look like that straight away. Never give up as it will come to fruition one day. Which race are you most proud of? Giro di Lombardia this year. It was my big end of season goal and I felt very strong. Unfortunately I crashed after 100km with over 150 kilometres to go. After crashing I had a big gap to make up and I tried to come back and started a long solo pursuit, overtaking many groups and then finishing the race not that far from the first group. I was very disappointed as I felt strong but it made me proud of myself knowing that I was able to chase for so long.

Weight: 77kg Description background Bert started riding a bike to get to school faster, and, immersed as he was in the Flemish cycling culture, it was soon clear that he wanted to become a professional rider. Bert has a true fighting spirit. He also genuinely enjoys cycling, especially the focus on improving the performance of the human body. He is a dedicated team player, and with his sociable character he makes sure the team is close. He is always willing to engage with any rider. Within every aspect of cycling, he wants to improve, therefore he focuses on mental, physical and personal development. Additionally, he intends to further develop his skills in leading out the sprints. Bert experienced a highlight last year, winning the GP Jef Scherens after riding a strong and tactical race. He hopes to excel in several races but Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is his hometown and favorite race.

Q&A Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have one sister and two sister-in-laws.

What are your interests away from cycling? Reading the news, nice cars, watching different sports and being with my friends and family.

What is the best lesson throughout your life? To follow your instinct and enjoy every minute of your life. If you enjoy it and are conscious of what you are doing life gets so much better.

What has your most beautiful moment on the bike been? Everyday when I ride my bike I have many beautiful moments, I can’t choose one specific moment.

He is also eager to learn about the body and training and is always asking the trainers questions to gain from their knowledge.

Twitter: @tomsdamuseau

Where is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? My training area at home in France. I am always looking forward to training at home and truly enjoy riding my bike there. What has the hardest moment on the bike been in your life? On a descent at the Tour of Catalunya. It had already been snowing all day and I was so cold when we got to the descent that I could barely move my hands. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would work in marketing. Do you have any pets, if so what and what are their names? I am not a big fan of animals, so I don’t have any pets. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? I would use the money to set up a company.

Do you have a nickname? Backsy, it comes from my surname. I quite like it to be honest

Bert is a dedicated team player, and with his sociable character he makes sure the team is close. Twitter: @BertDeBacker

What are your interests away from cycling? I am interested in all kind of sports, and next to that I am interested in coaching and business. I find it very interesting how people get along with each other and how that aspect works in a team and a company. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Somewhere during a stage race in China. At one point we were going over a hill and when we looked down everything was yellow. It was absolute stunning and an unforgettable experience.

Instagram: BERTDEBACKER Strava: Bert De Backer

What is your favourite dish? Bread with olive oil, pepper, ham and mozzarella What would you do with 1 million dollar? Get through what I am doing now, I might buy a house, but I would never spend it all at once.

Thomas Damuseau

Dries Devenyns

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

Germany

Classic rider/sprinter

Belgium

allrounder

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

07/01/1989

Focused, funny and

22/07/1983

Quite, thoughtful,

Height: 180cm

serious

Height: 177cm

passionate

Weight: 77kg

Weight: 66kg

Description background John claims he started cycling because he was not good enough to be a soccer player. But as soon as he tried riding he absolutely loved it. John is inspired by his father and also by the difficulty and beauty of cycling. He is proud to be able to show young riders that you can achieve great results clean as long as you are dedicated and give everything you have.

Description background After having played soccer for several years, Dries was bored, and because his older brother raced he decided to take up the sport as well. The day after finishing his degree studying the science of human movement he became Belgian national U23 champion and decided to try to become a professional – and he succeeded.

John is known and admired by many of our riders for his mentality. When he has a goal, he will be fully focused and 100 percent dedicated to achieving this goal. John joined the team in 2012 and enjoys the optimal guidance provided by the team, something that has helped him develop not just as a rider but also as a person. The most important moment in his cycling career was when he became national U23 champion in Erfurt. He worked for several months toward this goal, and the race turned out perfectly. He won alone in front of friends and family. It was not the biggest race he has won, but it was an incredibly emotional moment for him. John’s biggest lesson was in 2013 when he rode the Tour de France as a domestique for Marcel Kittel. He worked in the lead-out train, although he is normally the sprinter. He needed to switch roles, and doing this was an important step in his career. He found it to be a great experience and thought that the final stage on the Champs-Élysées was a special feeling. This coming season he is aiming to be on the podium in one of the monuments. His biggest dream is to become world champion.

When he has a goal, he will be fully focused and 100 percent dedicated to achieving this goal. Website: www.johndegenkolb.de Twitter: @johndegenkolb

Q&A What are your interests away from cycling? I like to go shopping and I am very interested in fashion. What is your favourite training session and why? I like rest days, but if I have to choose a ride, I would say the coffee rides. Nice and relaxed and a good chance to chat with mates. Give a quote that you often use? “When you think you are already somebody, you stop developing.”

Q&A Is there any information that we don’t know about you? I am a piano player!

His goal this season is to provide reliable support for the team in the classics, and his biggest dream is to one day win the Tour of Flanders. Based on his interest in the human body and training, he chose Team Giant-Shimano because it is focused on improvement through a different approach. .

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? To put things in perspective. What has the most important moment in your career been? Becoming Belgium U23 Champion just one day before I finished my thesis at university.

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been to with the bike? Forest of Wallers-Arenberg. It is a very hard road, but if you are a cyclist you have to ride it to know how epic it is.

What are your interests away from cycling? Playing piano and watching other sports. I am a massive sports fan.

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? In the beginning of my career I was at the traffic lights. When I got there I couldn’t clip out and fell off my bike. There were a lot of people around me looking at me. I felt quite stupid. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I don’t know it exactly, but I would definitely work outside. I don’t see myself sitting behind the computer the whole day. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? I would buy a house. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Take my wife to a very nice place and enjoy time together.

Facebook: johndegenkolb Instagram: johndegenkolb

Dries has a lot of experience and is very strong, especially in the cobbled races. It will be his first year at Team Giant-Shimano, and he will strengthen the team in his beloved classics but also in stage races. The coaches are convinced that he can battle with the world’s best riders, and the team will be able to help and support him in these situations.

What is your weirdest habit? I’m utterly superstitious. There are many small things; when I win a race I want to wear exactly the same socks again in the next race. Stupid, small things, but I truly believe in that.

What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? At the Tour de France when Chavanel was in the yellow jersey. It was very special to ride for the yellow jersey and to lead the biggest race in the world.

The coaches are convinced that he can battle with the world’s best riders. Twitter: @3sdevenyns Instagram: 3sdevenyns

What is your favourite dish? Pizza. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? I would share it with my family, buy a nice motorbike for myself and also a chalet somewhere in the Alps. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Skydiving. What is your weirdest habit? You have to ask other people for that, I really don’t know what’s weird about me to others. Best sports person in the world and why? Allyson Felix, she is such a good athlete.

John Degenkolb

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

Time trialist, hills, GC

Germany

All rounder/team

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

captain

11/11/1990

Ambitious, stubborn

09/06/1985

Description:

Height: 186cm

and down to earth

Height: 172cm

Stable, disciplined and

Weight: 60kg

team player

Weight: 71kg Description background Tom grew up in Maastricht, the cycling hub of the Netherlands, but he only started cycling in his teenage years. As soon as he started out on the bike he loved it and decided he wanted to become a professional cyclist. Tom knows exactly what he wants and aims for the highest. He made his mark this season with his aggressive performances and results. Tom fits naturally with Team Giant-Shimano, as he and the team are both down-to-earth and are always looking to innovate and think differently, which is quite a unique approach in cycling, as there are many myths and everybody usually ends up working in the same ways. This year we saw Tom’s breakthrough with his strong performances in the Tour de France and the Eneco Tour, where he finished second overall – his best result so far in his career. He is eager to follow up on this progression and has some clear goals for the coming season. He wants to excel in the Ardennes classics, ride the Tour de France and ride well in the end-of-season one-day races, including the world championships.

Tom fits naturally with Team Giant-Shimano, as he and the team are both down-to-earth and are always looking to innovate and think differently. Website: www.tomdumoulin.com Twitter: @tom_dumoulin Facebook: tomdumoulinofficial

Johannes Fröhlinger Q&A What has cycling taught you? To be focused, work together and to learn how to deal with the bad times. What do you think before a race? About the course and the possible situations that could arise so that I am mentally prepared as well as physically for the race. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? I am a person who likes to have a discussion about things whereas in the past I used to have problems with this. But now I have learnt to be more tactful. What was the most important moment in your career? In 2010, when I won at the GP Portugal when riding my first race for the Dutch National Team.

Description background Johannes grew up in western Germany, in the Eifel region near the Belgian border. When he was young he often joined his father on Sunday rides, but it wasn’t until he went on holiday to see the Tour de France in the Alps that he got the extra motivation to start racing. When he joined Team Giant-Shimano he was already quite a developed rider with some team captain skills. The team is helping him to further improve his leadership skills through coaching courses, giving him the confidence he needs to develop into one of the best road captains in the peloton. He enjoys the team’s focus on helping the riders develop week by week and year by year, and he hopes to keep this up in 2014. He also hopes, like every year, that he will win a race as a professional, as this has not yet happened in his career.

Which race are you most proud of? Tour de France & Eneco Tour 2013.

Q&A What has cycling taught you? To be structured and very disciplined. What is your biggest dream in cycling? Dreams are already coming true, I always dreamt of riding the Tour de France and I have now done this several times. Then I dreamt of helping the team to win a stage in the Tour de France and now I’ve done this. Now I am dreaming of winning my own stage at the Tour.

What are your interests away from cycling? Cycling is already kind of a hobby for me, I don’t have another hobby. I’m not one to play with model trains at home. What has been your hardest moment on the bike? The hardest moment was last season, in the final hour of Liege. I had stomach problems and needed to go to the bathroom for an hour but the race was still on. The last hour hurt a lot as I was tensed all over!

What do you love about cycling? I enjoy being out in the nature.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? A doctor.

What has the most important moment in your career been? The 2012 Vuelta, last year’s Tour de France and finishing third in a mountain-top finish at the Tour in 2009. These are the races that I am most proud of.

What is your favourite dish? Mediterranean food What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? That’s an easy one, I would buy a house. If you could only do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Maybe it is cliché, but I would travel around with my family or just spend time with them all. What is your weirdest habit? I am always losing everything. What is your favourite band/singer? I like all kinds of music.

What is the best lesson you have learnt in your life? To always follow your own path.

The team is helping him to further improve his leadership skills through coaching courses, giving him the confidence he needs to develop into one of the best road captains in the peloton.

What are your interests away from cycling? Travelling, cooking and going to concerts. What is your favourite race? Tour de Suisse. What has your hardest moment been on the bike? That was after a crash in 2005 when I broke a bone in my knee and wasn’t sure if I could continue cycling. It was really tough both mentally and physically. What is your best recipe? Asian food.

TOM DUMOULIN

Chad Haga

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

Germany

All rounder

USA

All-rounder,

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

time-trialist

13/03/1986

Focused, funny and

26/08/1988

Description:

Height: 170cm

energetic

Height: 190cm

Quiet, intellectual and

Weight: 72kg

competitive

Weight: 63kg Description background As the son of a former track cyclist who opened a bike shop after retiring, Simon was born with cycling in his blood. For four years he combined track and road before fully focusing on the road. In 2009 he turned pro with Skil-Shimano, and he has stayed with the team that he says feels like a second home to him. The team has played an important role in his development as a rider so far, he says. The relationship between Simon and the team is very close, and he never trains alone; he always has a second opinion, which is very important for him. He also appreciates that their mindset is the same, as they have similar ideas and are on the same page. This is something that helps him a lot, as it is important for cyclists to believe in what they’re doing. Last season he took another big step forward by achieving several top places in the classics. This season he wants to develop further and also cross the line first in a race. He dreams of one day winning a big classic.

Q&A Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have one sister (30) but she is not a cyclist. What is the best lesson you have learnt throughout your life? Cycling has taught me a lot. You learn that you must never give up and how important it is to find a good balance in sport. Don’t give up too quickly, finding a balance in everything you do. What has the most important moment in your career been? I have always dreamed about the Tour de France so finishing my first Tour in 2009 was a special moment. Best result so far? In 2011 I won what is, so far, my only race (a stage in Criterium International) and so that is my best result so far. But if you look at team results then definitely the four stage wins in the Tour de France. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? Riding on the Champs Elysees is always beautiful, especially this year when it was dark and we had just finished off some perfect teamwork.

Q&A Is there any information that we don’t know about you? I like to play with the piano. When there is a piano around I will find it and start playing.

Description background Chad is a huge talent on the bike. The American rider began his career “playing around on a BMX,” and when his best friend started mountain biking he followed – and eventually ended up on a road bike. He is a quiet person who likes to show people that he can still be very competitive on the bike.

What is the best lesson learnt during your life? Learning to not waste opportunities, take every chance you get to pursue your dreams.

The team discovered Chad before his superb performance in the Tour of California. When he showed himself in this race it was only a confirmation of his talent, which, together with his personality, made him a perfect fit with the team. His admirable mentality was shown during his most difficult experience, when he crashed while wearing the leader’s jersey. He was so determined to carry on that he ignored the pain in his hands; the doctors discovered afterward that he had broken both his hands and needed surgery.

What are your interests away from cycling? Piano, a love of all bikes, riding off-road, and reading (mostly fiction). What was the most beautiful moment on the bike? TTT championships this year. It was cool to compete in Florence and ride past some of the most beautiful buildings that you can imagine.

Chad is eager to develop further and aims to one day start the Tour de France and compete at the highest level for the coveted yellow jersey. He will be focused on developing his general classification skills with a dedicated plan.

What is your favourite training session and why? I love to do epic rides, really long rides in the mountains, and in beautiful countries. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? Probably an engineer, using my degree.

What has the hardest moment on the bike been in your life? This year in Milan - San Remo. The weather was horrendous and even though I put on so many clothes it was never enough and I was absolutely freezing and thought that I would never warm up again.

He appreciates that the team’s and his mindset are the same, as they have similar ideas and are on the same page. Website: www.simongeschke.com Twitter: @simongeschke

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would be studying but I don’t know what. Best prank you have pulled? We found a dead snake when we were training and it was still in good shape. We know that our coach was really scared of snakes so we decided to bring it with us and put it in his bathtub. When he came in the room he was screaming the whole time, thinking it was alive. As soon as he realised that it was death he threw it out the window. We didn’t tell him it was us for another day. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? I would buy a house, a Harley Davidson and a car, both oldtimers.

Facebook: simongeschkeofficial

Instagram: simongeschke

If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Skydiving.

What has been the best prank that you have pulled? I am not a big prankster, not really good at those. I am bad at pranks, but good at falling for them. What is your favourite dish? Thai food or a curry.

He is a quiet person who likes to show people that he can still be very competitive on the bike. Website: www.chadhaga.blogspot.com Twitter: @ChadHaga Facebook: Chad.Haga Strava: pros/269660

What is your best recipe? Sweet potato tacos. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? I would probably buy a huge piano and a fast car. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Visit every continent in the world. The more I travel the more I realise that I want to see more. What is your favourite band/singer? Anything from classical music to pop songs. The weirdest thing is that I also listen to metal! Best sports person in the world? Tyler Hamilton.

Simon Geschke

Thierry Hupond

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg

Country:

Rider type:

France

All rounder

Date of Birth:

Description:

10/11/1984

Serious, happy and

Country:

Rider type:

Height: 178cm

team player

South Africa

Classic rider, sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

03/02/1989

Always trying to

Height: 181cm

improve

What is the best lesson you have learnt throughout your life? To never give up on your dreams but also when you are suffering, never assume that you are suffering alone. Best result so far? That is an easy one. My win in Binche last year.

Description background Thierry started cycling in order to recover from an ankle injury he received playing soccer. After starting to ride, he couldn’t get enough of it and never looked back. He has been with the team from the beginning and has seen how it started as a small outfit and grew into a team that has won stages in all three Grand Tours – and one that is also known for its different approach in how it works. Thierry himself is a stable factor in the team. The team has taught him everything he knows about professional cycling and has guided him into the team player that he is today. Although he has been a professional for many years now, Thierry unfortunately has not yet won a race. So getting his arms in the air will be his goal this coming season. His biggest dream in cycling is, like that of many other riders, to become world champion one day and wear the rainbow stripes.

Q&A Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have one sister and she has a child. Next to that I have a mother and a father and a lovely girlfriend. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? When you want to do something you can do it if you really want it. What was the most important moment in your career so far? That was in 2009 when I started in my first Tour de France, and also the Vuelta in 2012 when we won five stages with John Degenkolb. Best result so far? Although I haven’t won a race, I was there and contributed so for me its the same as a victory, so I would say the five stage wins in the Vuelta. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? The Vuelta a Catalunya last year with the rain and snow. It was so cold that it made it the toughest race of my life. What do you like about cycling? The way of life and the spirit that it brings. I respect all of the work that you have to do to achieve something. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? I would give some money away to my family and invest the rest of the money in a beautiful house.

Weight: 74kg Description background This young talent from South Africa had to lie about his age to ride his first cycling event when he was just 10 years old, as he was too young to participate. He got his first real racing bike for Christmas at the age of 13, and from then on he was unstoppable and started to race legally.

Twitter: @thierry_hupond Facebook: Thierry Hupond Strava: Thierry Hupond

Best sports person in the world and why? Michael Schumacher. Even when he had become a millionaire he wanted to come back to racing and win. With this he showed that he has the motivation and passion for sport, something which I admire in a sportsmen. What are your interests away from cycling? I love watching all kind of sports and I am a big fan of cars, and also whisky. The perfect day for me is to sit in front of the television, watching racing and have a nice whisky with it. What kind of music do you like? House, pop, electro. What kind of books do you read? Roman novels.

What are your interests away from cycling? All kind of sports like rugby and cricket, both of which are very popular in South Africa, but also playing Playstation or the guitar. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? A small island off the coast of Africa.It is incredibly beautiful there.

Reinardt is one of the best examples of what the team stands for. He has incredible potential and is a huge talent, but when he started out with the team he didn’t know much about teamwork. Throughout the 2013 season he worked with the coaches and other riders, who showed him how much stronger riders are as individuals when they work as a team. Throughout the year he came to understand this, and in the final race of the season he took his first win for the team after a strong display of teamwork.

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? After I lost my dad, I did a big race in South Africa. I wanted to win so badly for him. It was really emotional for me and this made it one of the hardest races for me ever.

The great results by South African riders in the 2010 and 2011 Vueltas truly inspired him and gave him a lot of hope to reach the top. This season he will continue to work on his tactical skills, and he has made a plan with the experts and trainers to further develop physically in order to be a reliable contributor in the classics and to go for his chance at winning a sprint. One day he hopes to become the first African rider to become world champion.

What has been the best prank you have pulled? Once, and this was back at secondary school, I posted a photo of the school headmaster that I had edited in Photoshop to make it look funny and then I put it up on the board in the corridor. They found out it was me and got into a lot trouble because of it.

What is your weirdest habit? I think I am pretty normal to be honest .

The team has taught him everything he knows about professional cycling and has guided him into the team player that he is today.

Which race are you most proud of? Winning the Ronde van Zeeland Seasports in 2012. I was in a break with almost the whole Rabobank team and a few other guys. Even though I was isolated I was able to outsmart them and take the win; that was a great moment.

One day he hopes to become the first African rider to become world champion. Twitter: @Reinardtvrnsbrg Facebook: ReinardJvRensburg

What do you like about cycling? I love the competition. I truly enjoy racing and it gives me a good feeling. Also, I love doing it as a job, it is not an office job and you get to travel around the entire world.

Do you have any pets? I don’t have any pets myself but I am surrounded by people who do. My girlfriend has a cat and my mum saves dogs and horses. That’s quite a lot of animals. What would you do with 1 million dollar/euros? I would by a nice villa somewhere. If you could only do just more thing in your life, what would that be? I would kiss my girlfriend. What is your weirdest habit? I always bite my lip, but that’s not that strange is it? What kind of music do you like? My music taste is quite diverse from dance music to rock. I generally don’t like modern day, mainstream music. I think a lot of it is unoriginal and pumped up by rich music producers. What kind of books do you read? I’m not a big reader, but generally if I do it’s cycling related material.

Weight: 62kg

Q&A Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have got one brother and one sister. My sister is pregnant and my brother is a pilot in Uganda for a gold company. My brother use to cycle but only when he was younger.

Cheng Ji

Marcel Kittel

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

China

All-rounder

Germany

sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

15/07/1987

Team player, funny and

11/05/1988

Spontaneous, team-

Height: 178cm

intelligent

Height: 189cm

player and honest

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a father, mother and a sister who live in Beijing. What has been the most important moment in your career? When we crossed the finish line at the 2012 Vuelta a Espana, and being the first Chinese rider who has ever raced the Vuelta, I finished it and also experienced a hugely successful race with team which was incredible.

Description background Cheng started out running and experienced much success before getting the opportunity to enter a sports school. In 2002 he moved over from running to cycling, fell in love with the sport after his first race, and wanted to show that Chinese riders can become professional cyclists.

Best result so far? My best result was when I won the first stage of the 2008 Tour of South China Sea.

Cheng has been part of the team since the start. When he first arrived he didn’t knew a lot about the “European” style of cycling. Through the guidance of the team, training and racing with teammates and coaches, he learned what it took to be a professional cyclist. Since joining the team he has improved greatly through hard work, expert guidance, and a focus on innovation and improvement.

Which race are you most proud of? I really hope that will be this year’s Tour de France. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? During races I simply don’t have time to look around me but my training region in the Netherlands and our team base in Altea Hills, Spain are great.

Since coming to Europe, Cheng has dreamed of participating in the world’s biggest bike race, the Tour de France. He has already made history by being the first Chinese rider to participate in the Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia.

What has the hardest moment been on the bike in your life? When I was recovering from a crash in 2011. After the crash I really couldn’t push on the bike and couldn’t gain any speed, even descending I had problems. To come back to my old level was very hard.

This coming season he will be dreaming of riding the Tour de France. To be able to realize this dream, he has made a plan with the experts to improve his base conditioning and his general strength.

What is your favourite race? I don’t have just one special race but I always enjoy stage races. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would do something with cycling in China, probably a team manager and work for a cycling team.

Through the guidance of the team, training and racing with teammates and coaches, he learned what it took to be a professional cyclist. Twitter: @jicheng369

What is your best recipe? I am a good cook, so I have many dishes that I like to make. What would you do with 1million dollar/ euros? Travelling around the world and see all the different kinds of nature and amazing places. What kind of books do you read? I don’t read many books, I prefer to search and read articles on the internet.

Description background Inspired by his father to pick up cycling, Marcel first started out riding on a mountain bike. He always wanted to ride on the road, though, so it wasn’t long until he made the switch. He rode his first few kilometers with his father, and, even after many years and many more wins, he still sees his father as his role model. Marcel’s father guided him and taught him what is important in cycling. When he moved to the sports school in Erfurt, where his father and mother were also athletes – and now his brother as well – he knew he wanted to become a professional cyclist.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Take it always easy even when it is a tough situation. What has been the most important moment in your career? Joining the team as with the guidance of the whole team I have been able to develop into the sprinter that I am today. Best result so far? Easy: the four stages in the Tour de France; this was a result for the whole team. I crossed the finish line first, but it was the team who made it happen. Which race are you most proud of? The Tour de France as it was terrific display of teamwork from everybody.

Marcel came to the team as a time trialist and lead-out man, but the team soon discovered that he was very fast. He started doing more sprint-specific training and in January 2011 won a stage at the Tour of Langkawi. Things progressed quickly from that point onward. Since then he has developed into one of the world’s best sprinters and has won many races, with the absolute highlights being his four victories at the Tour de France.

What are your interests away from cycling? Spending time with my family and friends, and I am also a huge fan of cars.

After fulfilling one of his dreams last season, which was to win on the Champs-Élysées, Marcel is looking to equal his success this coming season and is working toward his other dream of one day becoming world champion, when the course suits. After new analysis and research, the team experts and trainers have developed some new sprint training techniques for Marcel to make him stronger and further improve his basic fitness so that he can start the final sprint fresher.

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? Stage 8 of the Vuelta in 2011. It was the day after winning a stage and all my focus was gone. But the team supported me very well and I got through it.

Since joining the team he has developed into one of the world’s best sprinters.

What has been the most beautiful moment on the bike? Seeing the whole team so happy after we won on the Champs Élysées. In addition to this absolute highlight I always find it beautiful when we ride through amazing landscapes.

What is your favourite race? I don’t have one, as I enjoy and try to do my very best in every race. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? Before I fully focused on cycling I was studying computer science. So I think I would have done something with computers. I used to be good at this, but I don’t follow all the new technology developments anymore. What is your favourite dish? I am a big fan of good food, and my favourite meal is a quality piece of meat. What would you do with 1 million dollar/euros? I would have a big party and invite all my friends, maybe in a far away country. After that I would buy a house and a nice car.

Website: www.marcelkittel.de What has cycling taught you? To believe in yourself. What kind of music do you like? I like all kinds of music.

Weight: 86kg

What is the necklace around your neck? My grandmother gave that to me, shortly before she died. I always wear it to remind me of her.

What are your interests away from cycling? Cooking and fishing.

Twitter: @marcelkittel Facebook: Marcel-Kittel Instagram: marcelkittel

If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? I don’t have any big plans to be honest, just to enjoy my life and stay close to my friends and family. What is your weirdest habit? When I brush my teeth I brush for 15 minutes and run around the house.

Weight: 67kg

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters: I have a mother, a father and one brother who is eight years younger and a cyclist as well.

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

Classic rider,

Date of Birth:

lead-out man

08/09/1982

Description:

Height: 181cm

Open, friendly and

Weight: 70kg

team player

Q&A Family? I have a mother and father who live in the Netherlands, as well as a younger sister and brother. My brother has never touched a bike, but my sister has although she stopped when she started her physiotherapy degree.

Description background Koen, one of the team’s most experienced riders, started his cycling career after watching the 1996 Tour de France near his home village. He started riding some cyclosportives, and after a year he entered his first race. His talent was immediately obvious, and he won several races in his first year. The most important moment in his life was when he moved to Spain, where he rode for a Spanish team and learned a new culture and language.

What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? To stay cool and never give up on your dreams.

Country:

Rider type:

Malaysia

All-rounder

Date of Birth:

Description:

What was the most important moment in your career? Marcel’s win on the Champs Élysées. In the days before, and the morning of especially, we were so focused and nervous. When the lead-out went perfectly and Marcel won everybody was so excited. For me that moment showed that if you really want something you can do it as long as you stay focused.

02/11/1986

Quiet, private and

Height: 176cm

modest

Best result so far? Third place in Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2012. I proved to myself and other that I can ride for a top result in the classics. I was there for a long time, but I never reached that top result. When it happened it gave me a boost in my career.

Cycling in general and the team in particular have taught Koen to work toward defined goals and to stay focused. The staff on the team have taught him to create more structure in his career and to focus on one specialty. He appreciates that everyone has a clear role in the team and that guidance is provided to help everyone develop and improve in their roles. Since joining the team he has greatly improved in his role as a lead-out man.

Which race are you most proud of? This year’s Tour de France, and I am especially proud of the lead-outs throughout the whole three weeks. What are your interests away from cycling? Watching movies and playing games. What is your favourite training session and why? Long endurance rides through the mountains around Girona. I enjoy being out in the nature and pushing myself – I can recommend this to anyone.

This coming season he intends to improve further in this position after having a good showing in the spring classics. He is aiming for some top results in the smaller early-season classics and will then help others in the major classics. Koen is passionate about cycling, and his biggest dream is to continue as a professional for many years to come.

Sea KEong Loh Weight: 68kg Description background It was Loh’s father who inspired him to take up cycling. When he joined his previous team he was almost ready to leave the sport, but he found the spark again and made huge progress, ending up with a spot on Team Giant-Shimano.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters We have a family of four, my mother, my father and my sister. Is there any information that we don’t know about you? I don’t know how well you already know me!

The team followed Loh throughout the season and saw him achieve some good results, but his selection for the 2014 roster was based not just on his results but also on his personality. With his positive attitude and eagerness to improve, his character fits in perfectly with the team.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Don’t let your ego overcome you.

Loh feels honored to be selected for the team, and it’s a true reward for all the hard work and dedication that has brought him to the level he is now. He is keen to invest in himself as a rider and thinks he can benefit greatly from the sporting environment that the team offers. With the right guidance and solid training and nutrition programs, he will be on track to develop further and reach his full potential this coming season.

What has been the most important moment in your career? When I took my first UCI win in 2008. Best result so far? GC win in Jelajah Malaysia 2013 What are you interest away from cycling? Cooking. What has been the most beautiful moment on the bike? The moment when you cross the finish line first.

What was has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? Getting back to my old fitness level after breaking my collarbone last season. In my opinion it wasn’t going fast enough and it was painful to come back to my old level so quickly.

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? During any track race, the track is always hard.

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? There isn’t really anything that I am ashamed off.

He appreciates that everyone has a clear role in the team and that guidance is provided to help everyone develop and improve in their roles. Website: www.koendekort.nl Twitter: @koendekort Facebook: koen.dekort.7

Instagram: koendekort1

What has been the best prank that you have pulled? I am not a practical joker type of person. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? Make my life comfortable and make sure that my children have enough money. The rest I would give to charity. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would like to go to the playboy mansion!

What is your most favourite race? Tour of Thailand.

With his positive attitude and eagerness to improve, his character fits in perfectly with the team. Twitter: @SeaLoh

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? It sounds very strange but I once lose my shoe on the bike when I was racing. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would probably be a Farmer. What is your favourite dish? Whatever what my mum is cooking for me. What is your best recipe? Thai Mookata.

Facebook: seakeongloh What is your weirdest habit? When I pin on my numbers before a race I always start with the right one.

What would you do with 1000 million dollar/ euros? I would travel around the world.

Best sports person in the world? Johan Cruyff.

Best sports person in the world? Michael Jordan.

Koen de Kort

Luka Mezgec

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

Sweden

Climber, time triallist

Slovenia

sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

22/02/1991

Organised, social and

27/06/1988

Positive, open and

Height: 194cm

fashionable

Height: 183cm

focused

Q&A Tell us about your family/brothers/sisters: I have one sister Špela who is 2-years older and studying and one half-sister Tjaša who already has her own family with 3 kids. My father Vojko is 63 years old and has always ridden his bike as well, and my mother Tatjana, who is 55 years old, just recently started with recreational cycling. I live with my wife Renata who I married in 2012. They all give me great support in my life. Is there anything we don’t know about you? I don’t think so, I am a very open person. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? To always learn from your mistakes and look at how you can improve this in a positive way.

Weight: 75kg

Weight: 72kg

Description background Tobias has been a passionate cyclist ever since one of his best friends got him on a bike. He was immediately hooked and hasn’t stopped riding since. The most important moment in his cycling career was when he won his first race at the Tour of Normandy. Nowadays, he dreams of becoming an Olympic champion.

Description background Luka started cycling when he bought an expensive bike and his friends joked that he would never ride it. He wanted to prove a point and trained a lot. He came third in the national MTB championships in his first race and was immediately selected for the national team, with which he rode many races. In 2010 he switched to the road, and he sees this as the most important moment in his career.

When Tobias came to the team the coaches saw his talent and started to work on developing his time trial and climbing capacities. Last year, the hard work and investment paid off when he twice took the young rider’s jersey and finished fourth in a stage of the Giro d’Italia, as well as finishing the Grand Tour.

Q&A What has cycling taught you? To stay focused and work hard for what you want to achieve.

Tobias will further build on his qualities against the clock to become more complete all-round rider.

What are your interests away from cycling? I really like Ice Hockey, time with family and friends and fashion. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? The last stage in the Giro was the most beautiful moment I have had on the bike. Maybe it was because we were almost done, but I enjoyed every minute of it and it was absolutely stunning.

Do you have a nickname? Piko, my wife calls me this, it means honey in Slovenian. My friends and teammates heard this and picked it up and call me Piko as well now. What do you like about cycling? The adrenaline you experience during a sprint. Which race are you most proud of? Finishing the Giro d’Italia, it was incredibly hard but I have made it in the end.

Luka has made significant progress since joining Team Giant-Shimano, working together with the coaches and trainers to improve his sprint. After knocking on the door but never quite making the winning breakthrough all year long, including three podium places at the Giro d’Italia, he took his first victory in the final race of the season, the Tour of Beijing, his best result in his cycling career so far.

What are your interests away from cycling? Other sports, browsing the Internet and watching movies. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? Every time you win it is very beautiful.

This coming season he is eager to further develop his sprint ability and to convert all the second places into wins. After some testing over the winter, he knows exactly how to improve his sprint and develop further physically as well as mentally.

What is your favourite training session and why? I like all kind of sessions as long as the weather is good. Most embarrassing moment on the bike? During a race a few years ago I thought I had won and was celebrating after the finish until they told me that I had actually finished eighth as there was a break in front. I never realised as it was such a hard race.

What was the hardest moment on the bike in your life? The stages in the Giro with snow. It was very tough riding uphill and it being so cold was incredibly hard.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I guess I would find myself in some other sport or I would still be a student and after I would have my own business working in connection with sports.

What is your favourite dish? A good steak.

When Tobias came to the team the coaches saw his talent and started to work on developing his time trial and climbing capacities. Twitter: @tludvigsson

Instagram: tobiasludvigsson

What is your best recipe? Pasta pesto, it is really good and really simple and easy to make. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? Buy a nice house and a car and I would go shopping to buy some nice clothes. If I have some money left over I would save it. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Easy one, I would give my family a kiss and a hug. What is your weirdest habit? Using the hair straightener now and then to iron my clothes. Sometimes there is just no other option when you are on the road.

After some testing over the winter, he knows exactly how to improve his sprint and develop further physically as well as mentally. Twitter: @lukamezgec Facebook: Luka Mezgec

Do you have any pets? I have a dog named Aron. What is your favourite dish? Pizza. What is your best recipe? Chocolate cake. What would you do with 1million dollar/euros? I would invest. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Base-jumping with a wing suit.

Instagram: @lukamezgec Best sports person in the world and why? Muhammed Ali – his focus was so impressive. If he wanted something he could do it.

Tobias Ludvigsson

DAAN OLIVIER

Tom Peterson

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

Climber, GC rider

USA

Climber

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

24/11/1992

Driven, cycling fanatic

24/12/1986

Quiet, funny and serious

Height: 188cm

and stressed

Height: 180cm Weight: 70kg

Description background Daan’s sporting career has followed an unusual path, as he started out as a speed skater before becoming a cyclist. In his short cycling career he has already had many high points but also some lows. He experienced the highlight of his career last season, when he finished second in Paris-Tours U23 after emerging from a bad period in his cycling career when he burned out.

Q&A Do you have any brothers or sisters? One brother. What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? That you need to listen to your body. Last year I trained too hard and didn’t eat enough, and I ended up exhausting my body. I was forced to rest and recover. I learned the hard way that I need to listen to my body.

Daan is a very special talent on the bike and could have great potential for stage races if he develops different aspects of his riding. He is driven, is willing to learn and always has a clear goal in mind that he wants to achieve. In addition, he truly enjoys cycling and is a big fan of the sport.

Best result so far? It was a professional race, the Tour de L’Ain when I finished fourth and took the young riders jersey. That was an incredible feeling.

This coming season will be Daan’s first year with the team, and he is looking forward to learning as much as possible but also to having fun on the bike. He will be keeping his eyes and ears open so he can soak up all the information that his teammates and the coaching staff provide.

What are your interests away from cycling? I am interested in gadgets and I love to sail. I love to see incredible landscapes when I am on a holiday. Life is about enjoying yourself.

Description background Tom started his cycling career as mountain biker, but he preferred riding on the road and soon started racing. Cycling appeals to this born climber because he likes having a goal in life. In his free time he still rides his mountain bike or watches races on television. Although he has already been a professional for a long time, he hasn’t won many races and his best performance was a stage win at the Tour of California. Last year, his first with Team Giant-Shimano, he learned to ride with an SRM and monitor his training daily, adjusting it where possible to become a better rider. This coming season he hopes to realize his biggest dream: to win more races. With a focus on improvement and teamwork he will be aiming to develop further. In addition to winning, he would like to be a strong support rider in the mountains for the team’s leaders.

What has your most beautiful moment on the bike been? In 2012 when my best mate and I finished first and second. The whole race went to plan and to finish this off together was unforgettable.

Website: www.daanolivier.nl Twitter: @daanolivier Facebook: daan.olivier Instagram: daanolivier14

Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/791821

What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? Buy a very big and beautiful house in Tuscany, Italy, far away from the living world next to a big lake. After that I would buy a big boat, a nice car and live life to the full. I think this is a bit too much for a million so I will stick to a big boat and nice car.

What has been the most important moment in your career? There isn’t just one, it is just in general. To have a career as a cyclist you realise how important it is to understand all different cultures. Realising that was an important moment for me.

Which race are you most proud of? I have ridden quite a few Grand Tours now, but one Giro went very well and I was really proud of my performance over the three weeks.

What is your dream in cycling? Being a stable value in the team and battling for the General Classifications in stage races. What is your favourite dish? Pizza.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Don’t worry about the future.

Best result so far? My stage win at the Tour of California

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would have a job in Economics. When I was younger I was very good at this and it still interests me.

He is driven, is willing to learn and always has a clear goal in mind that he wants to achieve.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters: I have two older brothers, a mother and a father.

With a focus on improvement and teamwork he will be aiming to develop further. Twitter: @TomIPeterson

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? I can’t remember if it was the Giro in 2011 or 2012, but I was very sick that race and couldn’t recover at all. It was very hard to be on the bike. What has been your most embarrassing moment on the bike? One race there was a chaperone straight after the finish and I was looking behind me, so I almost crashed into him. Apparently it was quite funny to see. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I don’t know, I think about it a lot. I think I would be a nurse or something like that.

If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Definitely go skydiving.

What do you like about cycling? You can just ride and not think about anything. It stimulates my mind.

What is your weirdest habit? During a race I always wear the same socks that I wore the day before the race during training.

What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? Put it in the bank and invest it.

Weight: 66kg

Country:

Rider type:

Austria

Climber

Date of Birth:

Description:

17/06/1990

Friendly, alert and

Height: 189cm

energetic

Ramon Sinkeldam Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters: I spend half my time living with my parents and half with my girlfriend. I also have a brother and he has a family now too.

Weight: 69kg

What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? To never give up.

Description background Georg’s cycling career started in his father’s garage, where he found an old road bike. He fixed it, made it work and took it out for a couple of rides. He loved it immediately and joined a local cycling club, where he participated in group rides every Sunday. The club members he rode with were always telling him that he was a good rider and advised him to do some races...and that’s how it all started.

Do you have a nickname? Yes but it is an easy one, everybody calls me Preidi. What was the most important moment in your career? When I won an U23 race in Italy, it was also my first victory.

Georg enjoys being part of the team, as he learns a lot about training and also about other aspects of being a cyclist, both on and off the bike. In his preparation last year, he spent most of his time at the team’s training base, working with the experts on a balanced training and nutrition program to improve his climbing. And it paid off when he was able to climb with some of the world’s best riders on his way to finishing his first Grand Tour.

What are your interests away from cycling? Spending time with my girlfriend and family. I also like it to work outside, we are currently building a terrace in our cottage, and I really enjoy working on that.

He is eager to further continue his development process, which he hopes will result in a victory this coming season. When he hangs up his wheels, he hopes to look back on a long and successful career and be satisfied in the knowledge that he’s done a good job.

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? The whole week in the Arctic race of Norway, every stage was absolutely beautiful. It was unbelievable and one of my best experiences I’ve had on the bike.

What is your favourite training session and why? Long endurance rides with friends and racing against each other.

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

Classic rider, sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

09/02/1989

Driven, motivated and

Height: 193cm

social

Weight: 75kg Description background Ramon started his cycling career on a mountain bike, riding on Saturdays with his father after playing soccer so he could burn off all his energy. He started doing some races, both on and off-road, and never returned to playing soccer. After a few years he stopped mountain biking and focused fully on the road; he experienced immediate success, winning many races.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters: I have a small family myself, with a baby and a dog (Chihuahua), and of course my wife.

Ramon joined Team Giant-Shimano in 2012, and the team has taught him that being a cyclist can be demanding but also very fun at the same time. He came to the team as an all-round rider, but after analysis, testing, and the development of training plans with the experts and coaches he has become a specialist sprinter, classics rider and lead-out man.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? You have to accept your weaknesses and that you have to learn of this.

Last year he made his mark by performing well in his favorite race, Paris-Roubaix. This year he is aiming to do the same again and wants to go for a big result in the Hell of the North. After his beloved classics he will focus during the rest of the season on improving his sprint and getting better at leading out. He doesn’t have many dreams, as he’s already living the dream of being a cyclist in his perfect team and having a family.

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? When I caused a crash and everybody knew that it was my mistake.

When he hangs up his wheels, he hopes to look back on a long and successful career. Twitter: @PREIDI

Instagram: @PREIDI

What is your best recipe? Risotto with saffron. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? Buy a big house. If you could just do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Travel around the world on a boat. What is your weirdest habit? I am really tidy and everything has to be in order so when I am on the road I’m always busy tidying everything up in the room.

What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? I have had many beautiful moments so this is too difficult to answer to be honest. What is your favourite training session and why? I really like power training in the gym. I love the pestering pain in my legs after a hard gym session and knowing that you have done something.

What do you love about cycling Going out and riding your bike wherever you want, you can go right or left, the feeling of freedom is very special. Do you have any pets, if so what and what are their names? I have a cat and his name is Max.

What has been the most important moment in your career? When I won the U23 Paris - Roubaix, I realised that I was able to win races. After that I won more and more as I had faith in myself.

He came to the team as an all-round rider, but after analysis, testing, and the development of training plans with the experts and coaches he has become a specialist sprinter, classics rider and lead-out man. Website: www.ramonsinkeldam.nl Twitter: @RSinkeldam Facebook: Ramon-Sinkeldam

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Different places in Italy, there’s something about this country; it has a special vibe. I have been to Mexico and China as well, which was also great but still I have to say Italy. What has been your most embarrassing moment on the bike? Once in a race I wasn’t paying attention and forgot the corner. I unfortunately took somebody with me, however only he was the only one who realised it. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? Pay off my mortgage. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Spend time with my family and go on a huge holiday.

Georg Preidler

#KeepChallenging: TEAMWORK

Tom Stamsnijder

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

France

All rounder

The Netherlands

Classic Rider

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

29/09/1981

Serious, quiet and

15/05/1985

Loyal, team-player

Height: 190cm

focused

Height: 191cm

and fighter

Weight: 76kg

Weight: 80kg

Description background Matthieu began riding after being inspired by seeing the Tour de France. Since then, he has himself ridden many Tours, including his personal career highlight: the 2006 Tour de France, in which he finished third in the young riders’ classification. He is a general classification rider who can hold his own uphill.

Description background Although his father was a former cyclo-cross world champion, Tom wasn’t immediately drawn to cycling when he was younger, and it was a knee injury from soccer that brought him into the sport. However, since that day Tom has made a name for himself in the cycling world.

Last year Matthieu experienced the worst moment of his life when he suffered a stroke. He was in a coma for a long period. When he woke up the doctors thought he would be paralyzed on one side of his body. Matthieu never gave up; he started working on his rehabilitation with a clear goal – getting back on the bike again. He has had many ups and downs but has already ridden his first training kilometers on the bike.

Tom joined Team Giant-Shimano in 2012 after having already been a professional for five years. His most important lesson since joining the team has been the importance of teamwork, as he has now seen and learned what teamwork really means and how individuals become better by being a part of a team and riding together. He has also developed as a person by adhering to the team’s principles; he believes and lives by them.

This season he will be aiming to get fit. It will be a very hard and long road back after having so much time off the bike, but together with the dedicated team staff he has made a plan and will do his best to come back.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters: I am the youngest of the family and have two older sisters. What is the best lesson throughout your life? The stroke last year was the hardest moment in my life. To recover from that I learnt that you have to believe in yourself and never give up. What is your biggest dream? For the moment it’s getting back on the bike again and getting back to my old shape but before the stroke it was to win a stage in the Tour de France. As a Frenchmen, that is simply the most important race of the whole season and it gets so much attention in France. It is huge.

Tom isn’t unaccustomed to bad luck, having had a bad injury two seasons ago that cost him a couple of months. Then last year he broke his shoulder, forcing him to watch from the sidelines for much of the season. This year he hopes to stay injury free so he can help the team succeed. In addition to being of value to the team, he will be aiming to get into the breaks himself in order to get a strong result.

When he woke up the doctors thought he would be paralyzed on one side of his body.

What was the hardest moment on the bike in your life? Last year in the Tour of Catalunya. The weather was really bad and it was raining and cold. After 10km I found myself in the break away. It was so tough; I have never had such a horrible day on the bike before.

What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? Nothing special really I would buy a nice house. What is your weirdest habit? I can’t think of something to be honest. I think I am quite a normal guy.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Whatever you do, do it to the full 100% of your ability. What has been the most important moment in your career? I don’t have one specific moment, everything has been very important in my career. Best result so far? Finishing second in a stage of the Vuelta a Espana. What are your interests away from cycling? Cooking, and drinking coffee and wine. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? Before, when I was riding for another team, and we won the General classification at the Giro d’Italia. What has the hardest moment been on the bike in your life? Most races are very tough but normally you forget this straight away after you step off the bike. What is your favourite race? Strade Bianche. What is your most embarrassing moment on the bike? Some of the races are very hot, and I always wet my face with water from my bottle. But once I took the wrong bottle and wet my face with Born Power.

What was the most important moment in your career? That was the first time when I rode up the Champs Élysées after a very long Tour de France. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? That would be during the 2008 Tour of Langkawi. The whole week was great with so many amazing views. If you have to go on a holiday I would highly recommend going there. The area is just incredibly beautiful.

Q&A Is there any information that we don’t know about you? I was into judo when I was really young. But after one lesson we all realised that it wasn’t for me.

What is your biggest dream? To be a cyclist for a very long time.

His most important lesson since joining the team has been the importance of teamwork, as he has now seen and learned what teamwork really means and how individuals become better by being a part of a team and riding together. Website: www.tomstamsnijder.nl Twitter: @Tom_Stamsnijder Facebook: tom.stamsnijder Instagram: @tom_stamsnijder

What has been the best prank that you have pulled? I never pull pranks to be honest, I am not a big joker. What is your best recipe? Anything as long as it is Italian! What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euros? I would make a lot of people happy: family and friends. If you could just do one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would travel around the world and see every country. It would be quite some time before I would get back though. What is your weirdest habit? I would never start a race without stretching.

Matthieu Sprick

Albert Timmer

Tom Veelers

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

All-rounder

The Netherlands

Lead-out man, sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

13/06/1985

Kind, Reliable and team

14/09/1984

Reliable, kind,

Height: 186cm

player

Height: 188cm

calculated

Weight: 76kg

Weight: 82kg

Description background After several years playing soccer, Albert started cycling. He first participated in some social rides with a local club but began racing after only six months. The culture in cycling appeals to him – riders who work with a dedicated training plan and are professionally guided, with great equipment at their disposal, can go quite far. It also teaches persistence and self-reliance, and it makes riders mentally stronger. Cycling has made him the person he is today.

Description background Tom started cycling in order to become a better speed skater, but he ended up enjoying the bike much more and therefore became a cyclist. Tom is fascinated by sprint lead-outs and is always eager to end the race well. When he is at his limit, the thought of the sprint and helping his teammates in the finale keeps him going, as does the fact that he loves to push his limits. Tom has been with the team since its beginning and has grown into one of the world’s best lead-out riders. He started as a sprinter but after analysis and racing he discovered that he was better suited to being the final lead-out man. From that moment the team made a plan focusing on improving his lead-out skills through specific training and coaching.

Albert is an all-rounder who knows exactly what he needs to do and when, a skill that makes him a vital member of the team. Albert, who is often found at the head of the peloton and who also decides when to start the sprint train, is known as a real team player whose strength and experience have helped the team to many victories. His most beautiful moment on the bike was at last year’s Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées, where teammate Marcel Kittel won the final stage. Next season he hopes to repeat this success and to be a steady and reliable contributor to the team, just like last year. His greatest dream on the bike is to win a stage in the Tour de France himself.

Q&A Best result so far? All the victories that I was part of last season. What are you interest in away from cycling? Watching Discovery Channel on television, my interests are quite wide. What was the hardest moment on the bike in your life? Stage 15, Tour de France 2012.

The team’s victories in the Tour de France were the highlights of Tom’s career. Working for so many years together, and seeing the perfect preparation and teamwork in the build-up and during the Tour de France work out perfectly, made it an incredible three weeks for him. Q&A What is the best lesson you have learned throughout your life? To always follow your instinct, I use this lesson in life, but sometimes also in the races in a hectic sprint.

Although he has never ridden a world championships race as a professional, he dreams of being world champion and one day wearing the rainbow jersey. He is currently making plans and working to improve his maximum sprinting power for next season.

What is your favourite dish? Sushi.

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? The most embarrassing moment was in Criterium International when I attacked, was caught, got dropped and was out of the race that day.

Albert is an all-rounder who knows exactly what he needs to do and when, a skill that makes him a vital member of the team. Website: www.alberttimmer.nl Twitter: @alberttimmer

What is your best recipe? I don’t like to cook, but if I had to choose I would say risotto. But to be honest I prefer to go out for dinner. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? Turn it into 2 million. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would travel around the world and see all the most amazing places. Of course as a rider you see a lot but to be fully focused on travelling is a whole different experience.

What would you do with 1 million euro? I would buy a farm, no animals, but just to live there. This is a dream for after my career.

He started as a sprinter but after analysis and racing he discovered that he was better suited to being the final lead-out man. Website: www.tomveelers.nl Twitter: @tom_veelers

Facebook: tomveelerscyclist What is your weirdest habit? I never read or look ahead in a road book, only at that day’s stage.

What is your weirdest habit? Talking in my sleep, sometimes after a night my teammates ask me if I won the race, apparently I talk about sprinting in a race. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been? It was in Switzerland when I was on training camp with teammate Tom Stamsnijder and we stayed in an apartment that looked over a lake with the snow covered French mountains behind. Every morning when we woke up, we saw this view. Incredible. Most embarrassing moment on the bike? When I rode into a ditch and had to pull out of the race because I smelt so bad. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? Carpenter.

In 2007, Albert experienced the most important moment in his cycling career when he signed a pro contract with Team Giant-Shimano’s predecessor. The team means a lot to him, as it gives him the confidence and tools he needs to perform at the highest level possible. Even when he had a bad year, the team trusted that he would come back the following year.

RACE PREVIEW Women’s Team “When we look back at the 2014 season we would be happy when every rider has progressed in their development. This year we have taken a different approach to recruiting riders, and hopefully this will pay off. If we look to results, we will be happy when we are one of the top five teams in the world.

Lucy Garner Country:

Rider type:

Great Britain

sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

20/09/1994

Creative, passionate

Height: 160cm

and dedicated

Weight: 54kg Description background Lucy grew up surrounded by cycling, with grandparents who used to race and a father and uncle who also ride their bikes regularly. Many people don’t know that Lucy used to ride on a penny-farthing. The 2011 and 2012 junior world champion is often compared to Marianne Vos, an all-rounder with a blistering finishing sprint. Having received her training with Team GB, Lucy fits perfectly with Team Giant-Shimano’s approach: working systematically, focused on one clear goal. Last year she made the step up from juniors to the elite women. The experts and trainers have created a plan to make this step as easy as possible. Her finest hour was her unexpected victory in China, where she confirmed the progress in her development last season. This coming season will be all about her further development as a rider but also as a sprinter, and she will have more specific sprint training to improve her speed so she will hopefully end up on the podium once again. Her biggest dream is to one day become an elite world champion.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a younger sister and an older half sister. What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? Don’t worry too much. What sentence do you always have in mind? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. What has been the most important moment in your career? Both the World Championships when I won the title as a junior. Which race are you most proud of? My victory in China, because it was really unexpected and there were some really good names there so I was very surprised and proud to beat some of the world’s best sprinters. Why does cycling appeals to you? The thrill of it. What are your interests away from cycling? Shopping, eating, going to the cinema and being with friends. What is your favourite training session and why? Definitely sprint training. My favourite session is as follows: have a good warm-up and find a flat piece of road. Slow down as much as you can and then for 15/20 seconds give it your all in a sprint and repeat this five times. After that cool down and that’s some sprint specific training done. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Probably in Italy, I really liked the worlds in Florence. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? This whole year was quite hard, making the step up from junior to elite isn’t easy. But I especially remember the World Championships, the course didn’t suit me very well and of course all the riders are at their best. It was great to ride it but it was unbelievably tough. What is your favourite race? Tour of Flanders. Most embarrassing moment on the bike? When I was riding an U14 race. I won and celebrated with my arms in the air but all of the sudden the wind took me. I didn’t fall off but it looked quite funny and I felt really embarrassed.

“We expect to be able to compete in different types of races. The team consists of riders who are all very talented and riding at a good level but who still have room to improve in their specialties and develop into world-class riders.”

“We are also very much looking forward to races like the Giro with a new addition to the team, Claudia Häusler, who has won top international stage races before. With the support of our talented riders, we can make the difference there.”

“With Kirsten Wild we already have a world-class sprinter. While we have a well-oiled sprint train with the men’s team, there is still a lot of room to improve with the women’s sprint train. Together with the innovation team and trainers we will further develop the train and turn it into one much like the men’s and be the first professional sprint train in women’s cycling.”

“Looking back to the end of last season, we are happy that every rider has made progress in her development. We have followed a different way of recruiting riders, and hopefully this will pay off. If we look to results, we will be happy when we are one of the top five teams in the world.”

Having received her training with Team GB, Lucy fits perfectly with Team GiantShimano’s approach: working systematically, focused on one clear goal. Twitter: @Lucygarner94 Facebook: Lucy-Garner

What is your favourite dish? I am a chocoholic. What is your best recipe? I don’t know, a good English breakfast. I am not very good at cooking What would you do with one million dollar/euros? Go shopping. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would like to travel the world. What is your favourite band/singer? All the songs in the charts. Best sports person in the world and why? Usain Bolt.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? Hopefully still something to do with sports as I have always been very active.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a half sister, Juliane. Is there anything that we don’t know about you? I hope so yes! What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Things may look different when you change your perspective.

Country:

Rider type:

Germany

Climber

Date of Birth:

Description:

17/11/1985

Honest, friendly,

Height: 169cm

authentic

Weight: 51kg Description background Claudia is one of the few athletes on the team who leads a “double” life. Alongside cycling she is also studying mechanical engineering, specializing in development and construction. She enjoys her double life, school and cycling, and it works well for her and is one of the reasons for her strong results. She has extraordinary talent and has won the biggest women’s race, the Giro Donne, as well as other international stage races. Claudia fits 100% with the team, as she shares the team’s philosophy and goals and appreciates the professional environment. With the support of the team, including the knowledge of the experts, trainers and coaches, she will battle for victory again at the Giro Donne. Her greatest dream is to one day become Olympic cycling champion.

Willeke Knol Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

All-rounder

Do you have a nickname? La Rana.

Date of Birth:

Description:

10/04/1991

Cheerful, bit crazy

What has been the most important moment in your career? 2009 was the best year I have ever had with the Cervélo Test Team. I will never forget the amazing team spirit and I hope to find this spirit again with this team again.

Height: 176cm

and emphatic

Best result so far? Winning the Giro Donne and the Tour de l’Aude, 2009. Who or what inspired you to take up cycling? My parents inspired me to take up cycling and I gave it my all. What are your interests away from cycling? Mountains, cross country skiing and cooking. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? A Trans Alpine MTB trip with my boyfriend. What is your favourite training session and why? Riding the familiar little roads in my home south of Munich. I enjoy being at home and training between the long travels between races.

Weight: 60kg Description background Willeke comes from a cycling family, so it was no surprise that she got the cycling bug as well. Her most important moment of her career was when she signed with the team last season. This will be her second year on the team, and she hopes to continue improving this season. Willeke is extremely valuable to the team, with her cheerful character and team spirit. She played a role in many of the team’s successes this year and has developed into a potent force in the team. To help her progress further, the experts and coaches have made a plan to invest time in developing her climbing skills. They have adapted her training schedule to make her stronger. She hopes to win a race this coming season, and her dream is to one day win the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? The final stage in the Giro Donne when I was leading. I took a bottle in the feed zone, less than 20km from the finish and got a time penalty. I was very lucky and had enough time to still win the race.

Website: claudia-haeusler.de

What would you do with one million dollar/euros? Organise a big women’s Tour, buy a caravan and fly south when the weather in Munich is not nice. I wouldn’t change too much and would save most of it. What is your weirdest habit? Looking in the mailbox at my parent’s house even though I haven’t lived there for 10 years.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? That you need to get the best out of every experience. There is no wrong choice. What do you like about cycling? Cycling is diverse and you are challenged everyday.

Which race are you most proud of? China, as we were the real underdogs. We surprised ourselves by executing a perfect race and taking a win. This was an incredible experience. What are your interests away from cycling? Hanging out with friends. Apart from this I am very interested in tourism and languages.

What is your favourite race? Giro Donne.

She has extraordinary talent and has won the biggest women’s race, the Giro Donne, as well as other international stage races.

Is there any information that we don’t know about you? That is a really good question, I can’t think of anything.

Best result so far? Being chosen to ride the European Championships. It was a big target for me this year and to get selected and ride was very nice.

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Fanes Tal.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I am currently studying Mechanical Engineering and I would probably work in this field.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I come from a really big and close family with a mother and father, two brothers and three sisters.

Willeke is extremely valuable to the team, with her cheerful character and team spirit.

What is your favourite training session and why? The most painful training, the two-minute uphill efforts. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? The race when I broke my elbow was a really hard race. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would study tourism management and would get a job in that area later on.

What is your favourite band/singer? Shakira.

What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? I would go on holiday, give some money to charity. Next to this I would buy a car and a nice present for my parents and then save the rest.

Best sports person in the world and why? My former DS, Manel Lacambra: an outstanding passion and fire to win, genius with tactics and very motivated.

If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would go to Hawaii for a long holiday.

Claudia HÄusler

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

Climbing, time trial

Date of Birth:

Description:

18/10/1995

Spontaneous, cheerful,

Height: 171cm

friendly

Weight: 57kg

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have one older brother and a mother and father. I am still currently living with my parents. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? That I have to think before I speak. This is really difficult for me. Also, it’s important to enjoy every day of your life. Do you have a nickname? People call me curly or flow. What do you love about cycling? You are always outside and able to go anywhere you want to go. Every day is different. Next to that the feeling after a successful race is great. What is you biggest ambition in cycling? I want to go to the Olympics in six years.

Description background Floortje began cycling as training for speed skating, but when she started racing she also started winning, and she soon caught the cycling bug and stopped skating to focus on riding. Cycling was not new to her, as her father is a former professional cyclist. This coming season she hopes to be of real value to the team and to support the leaders. She is eager to improve in her specialties, climbing and time trialing. Together with the experts she has made a balanced plan, as she is still very young with a large margin for development. Floortje is very ambitious and eager to learn and soak up all the information she can from the experts. She hopes to one day become an Olympic or world champion.

What has been the most important moment in your career? Becoming National Time Trial Champion. Best result so far? Second place in the junior European Championship TT and junior National TT Champion. I also won a race in the women’s elite category last year. What are your interests away from cycling? Shopping, drinking tea with friends and working in the jewellers. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? The TT at the last years World Championships when the course went straight through Florence – that was a unique experience. What is your favourite training session and why? Long endurance rides in the sun. What is your favourite race? Energiewacht Tour. Most embarrassing moment on the bike? In an interview at the European Championships. Straight after the time trial they asked me to the expectations of the road race. I said that the Italians, Spanish and Australians would be very tough competition. Quite embarrassing especially as they constantly repeated it on the big screen.

Sara Mustonen Country:

Rider type:

Sweden

Sprinter, lead-out

Date of Birth:

Description:

08/02/1981

Quiet, focused

Height: 161cm

and honest

Weight: 58kg Description background Sara Mustonen is a tough girl who used to be a boxer before starting cycling. She was injured and took a job as a bike courier. When people around her told her that she was very fast, she started racing, and it didn’t take long for her to turn professional. She is very fast, and her specialty is sprinting and leading out sprints. Sara will further develop her lead-out so she can support Kirsten Wild in the sprints. The coaches and experts have analyzed her physical abilities and identified space to improve and gain more power, which will result in more speed. Being selected for the Olympics in 2008 was one of her career highlights so far, as she was still very young and new to the sport, and this made her realize that she could have a future in cycling. After a hard 2012 season, she was back to her old self and performed at the highest level last season. This coming season she will support Kirsten in the sprints and take her own chances where possible. Her biggest dream is to win another UCI victory.

Website: floortjemackay.wordpress.com

Twitter: @Floortjemackay

What would you do with one million dollar/euros? I would shop until I drop and buy two new cars: a Range Rover and a small, pink Fiat 500 with sun roof. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would go skydiving or I would like to be really famous for one day so that everybody wants to have a photo with me. Next to that I want to be best friends with Nick and Simon (two famous singers in the Netherlands). What is your weirdest habit? My mother needs to always wear all my jewellery when I am racing. From my watch to my bracelets. What is your favourite band/singer? Nick & Simon, I know every single track.

Best result so far? Winning the Tour of Poland in 2008.

What are your interests away from cycling? Spending time with family and friends, shopping and all the things you don’t have time to do during the season. What is your favourite training session and why Long endurance rides. When you come home and you are totally finished and tired but satisfied. That is an amazing feeling. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? I can’t think of one specific place, but when I am out of the bike and it is just you and the bike, those are very special moments for me. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? Probably 2012. In 2011 I over did it and my body was completely finished, I thought I had recovered over the winter before the 2012 season but apparently not and it was a real struggle to get through the season. What is your favourite race? The World Cup in Sweden, that is a really beautiful race. Most embarrassing moment on the bike? That’s a difficult one, I have quite good bike handling skills because of being a bike messenger so I haven’t had many problems.

What has been de best prank that you have pulled? I called my mother one day to say how late home I would be, and I said that I was pregnant then hang up. She was in shock, but it was a joke.

This coming season she hopes to be of real value to the team and to support the leaders. She is eager to improve in her specialties, climbing and time trialing.

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Stay true to yourself and be who you are and you can do anything.

Which race are you most proud of? Finishing sixth in the World Cup in Bern in 2008. It was a very hard course and I was not a climber but I stayed with the best climbers. This gave me a lot of confidence.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would be a mother – I love children, or an ice speed skater.

Do you have any pets, if so what and what are their names? Yes a dog, together with my grandfather and mother they are always with me at my races.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have one older brother in Sweden. I am currently living with my boyfriend in Germany.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would probably be doing something in sport, but I am not quite sure what.

She is very fast, and her specialty is sprinting and leading out sprints.

Do you have any pets, if so what? We have 2 cats. What is your favourite dish? Chicken. What is your best recipe? Wholegrain pasta with garlic, chilli, ginger and rucola.

Website: www.saramustonen.com What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? Another difficult question I would probably go somewhere very warm and would live there. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? I don’t have big dreams like that, I am living my dream now. I ride my bike for a living and that is already a dream.

Floortje Mackaij

Maaike Polspoel

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

All-rounder

Belgium

Climber

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

01/06/1991

Focused, sociable,

28/03/1989

Energetic, social and

Height: 164cm

serious

Height: 178cm

structured

Is there anyTHING that we don’t know about you? A lot of people know it already, but if you didn’t I am part of the military. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? You need to have a goal in life and do everything for this, but never forget that there is so much more too. This is what my tattoo means. What do you like about cycling? Being outside, seeing many different places and the vibe of the ‘cycling world’.

Weight: 58kg

Weight: 61kg

Description background Cycling comes naturally to Amy. As the daughter of former cyclist Peter Pieters, Amy was introduced to the world of cycling at an early age; however, she decided herself that she wanted to have a career in cycling, as the challenging nature of the sport appeals to her.

Description background From a young age Maaike dreamed of going to the Olympics. She started her sporting career on in-line skates and achieved many great results, but unfortunately in-line skating wasn’t an Olympic sport. She was already cycling now and then and decided to follow her dream, so she stopped skating and became a cyclist.

What has been the most important moment in your career? When I went to the Olympic games.

Maaike, an all-round rider, is at her strongest when the races are very difficult. This season she hopes to improve her climbing skills, and together with the experts and coaches has made a plan so she can develop her strength and be a valuable addition to the team in the hard oneday classics and stage races.

What are your interests away from cycling? Cycling is already my hobby, so count that as an interest. Apart from that I recently started a wall climbing course.

Amy is very focused on her goals, and although she very much likes racing she also truly enjoys a hard interval session in which she forces herself to go one step further and get the most out of herself. Her teammates see her as a team player with a good strategic view of a race; she knows exactly where she needs to be and what to do during a race. Given her natural instinct for positioning in the bunch, she is eager to keep improving in other areas, as every detail counts at the highest level of the sport. She is still quite young, but she already has an impressive palmarès, both on the track and on the road. In 2012 she participated in the London Olympic Games, which was also the most important moment in her career. Going to the Olympics was a dream come true for her, and being there was an unforgettable experience.

Q&A Best result so far? Two times second in World Cup races, China and Sweden.

After her dream of going to the Olympics came true, she now hopes to become a role model for many people and to inspire others to pursue their ambitions in life. This coming season she hopes to achieve some strong results in the World Cups and to learn as much as possible from the experienced and professional staff in the team.

Twitter: @AmyPieters

What is your favourite recipe to cook? Does a boiled egg count? No joking, I cook everything. What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? I would give money to my family and I would buy a very nice car. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? Parachute jumping. What is your weirdest habit? I am quite superstitious; I always carry something that brings me good luck in races.

What is your favourite training session and why? Interval training, I always feel satisfied after a session like that. It hurts a lot but the feeling afterwards is incredible.

Do you have any pets, if so what and what are their names? I have a dog (a beagle) called Toby.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would have been a primary school teacher. Do you have any pets? I have one cat, we had two but the other had an accident outside our front door.

What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? The first 10km of the Olympic road race, I have never seen so many people out watching a race. I wanted to say something to my teammate but it wasn’t possible because we could barely hear each other because of the screaming spectators.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would probably be doing something to do with nutrition.

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been to with the bike? Sweden, at the Vargarda World Cup. I would recommend everybody to go there.

Given her natural instinct for positioning in the bunch, she is eager to keep improving in other areas, as every detail counts at the highest level of the sport.

Best result so far? Eighth place in the World Cup and my victory last year in the UCI1.2 race.

What is your favourite race? The World Cup race in Binda, it’s one of the toughest one-day races in the world.

What are you interests away from cycling? Hanging out with friends and having a social life.

Next year Amy hopes to continue her development with the team. She has already made considerable progress by using the experts to formulate a balanced training schedule and to optimize her position on the bike through testing and analysis. Her biggest dream in cycling is to win a major race so that when people see her years from now, they will still remember that she won that race.

Q&A information about your family/brothers/sisters We have quite a big family. I have three sisters, one who’s 10, one 22 and one 26.

What is your best recipe? I am not sure but I think a chocolate mailer.

After her dream of going to the Olympics came true, she now hopes to become a role model for many people and to inspire others to pursue their ambitions in life. Twitter: @MaaikePolspoel

What would you do with 1 million dollar/euros? I would keep doing what I am doing now, riding my bike and enjoying life. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Sky diving, I am afraid of heights and to do that would be a big accomplishment. What is your weirdest habit? I am incredible superstitious, if I win a race and the day before I had eaten a baguette I would always eat a baguette before a race in the future. Also I can’t race with number eight and I always have a small piece of a plaid that my grandmother gave me for good luck. Best sports person in the world and why? I have a lot of respect for my colleague Luc van Lierde who has won many Ironmans.

Amy Pieters

KYARA STIJNS

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

All-round

The Netherlands

Climber

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

12/12/1990

Description: Positive,

10/09/1995

reserved and focused

Height: 165cm

flexible and focused

Height: 175cm

Weight: 60kg

Description background Julia started her sporting career with judo, but injury forced her to look for another sport. She ended up cycling, as the adventurous character of the sport and the difficult competition appealed to her. Right from the beginning, people saw Julia’s strength and determination. She is always eager to learn, and her daily challenge is to keep improving.

Description background Kyara started cycling because her father and brother were into cyclo-cross. She fell in love with the sport straight away and started riding. This season she made a name for herself as one of the Netherlands’ biggest climbing talents by winning the Dutch junior championships as well as the climbers’ classification.

Q&A What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? You can do better two things much better then four things half as well. What are your interests away from cycling? Cooking, travelling, music and dinking coffee.

Julia is new to the team this year. Joining a professional team like this is a major step and the most important moment in her career thus far. She is an all-round rider who can play a supporting role in several types of races, and with her flexible and positive character she fits perfectly into the team.

What was your most beautiful place visited on the bike? I don’t have one specific moment, but all the places that you come across when you are riding your bike are special.

This coming season she will be focused on her development as a professional cyclist. She is eager to use the knowledge of the team’s experts and coaches to become a better rider, to contribute to the team and to achieve strong team results. Her biggest dream in cycling is to win a major one-day race.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would be travelling at this point in my life, and later I would work of course but now I would be travelling around the world.

Many teams were interested in adding Kyara to their rosters, but in the end she chose Team Giant-Shimano because of the environment in which everything is designed to help the riders improve, with many dedicated experts, trainers and coaches to guide her in her step up from juniors to the elite ranks. This coming season she wants to learn to live like a professional cyclist and further develop her climbing skills. The trainers and coaches have made a plan with Kyara so she can get used to racing with the elite women and improve her climbing. One day she hopes to win a big hilly classic.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I am a twin and have another older brother and sister. Only my brother and father ride in the family. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? In 2012 I broke my leg and for a long time I couldn’t do a thing. When you get injured you think a lot about everything. I learned that cycling was truly something that I wanted to do.

Do you have any pets, if so what and what are their names? One dog called Duvel. What is your best recipe? Gado Gado, an Indonesian recipe.

What has been the most important moment in your career? When I became junior Dutch Champion last season.

What would you do with 1 million dollar/ euro? Apart from making life easier and a bit of travelling I wouldn’t change a lot.

Joining a professional team like this is a major step and the most important moment in her career thus far.

Twitter: @JuliaSoek

If you could only do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Keep on following my goals in life as you are never finished. As soon as you reach or almost reach one goal you must straight away make another. What is your weirdest habit? I always talk a lot in my sleep and have full blown conversations. What is your favourite band/singer? Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Temper Trap, rock bands, and some singer-song writers. Best sports person in the world and why? That is a difficult question. I have respect for all athletes in general. Many different sports appeal to me and every athlete has something special, so I can’t choose just one.

This coming season she wants to learn to live like a professional cyclist and further develop her climbing skills. Twitter: @Kyarastijns

Which race are you most proud of? The climbing classic in Ulestraten that I won solo. What are your interests away from cycling? Studying, I am still busy getting my degree. What is your favourite training session and why? Hilly sessions, I really enjoy the trainings in Eiffel, were you can climb a lot and you have the most beautiful views. Do you have any pets? We don’t have a farm but we have 2 goats and a couple of chickens in our garden, quite unusual. We wanted to a have pig but that didn’t fit What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? Buy a car and the rest of the money I would save.

Julia Soek

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

All-rounder

Date of Birth:

Description:

19/11/1978

Driven, enthusiastic,

Height: 176cm

spontaneous

Weight: 62kg Description background Marijn started cycling as an experiment, a journalist trying to be a professional cyclist. People around Marijn saw her qualities, and soon she ended up with a professional cycling team and achieved her goal. Now, a few years later, she is a solid rider who excels in difficult races and sees herself not as a journalist but as a serious professional cyclist. Marijn choose Team Giant-Shimano because she wanted to make another step up as a rider. This year she hopes to continue improving with the professional staff around her. She has never been guided by so many experts, and she expects that this will benefit her significantly this coming year. Last year her dream became a reality when she participated in the world championship team time trial. Her new dream is to participate in either the individual time trial or the road race at the world championships.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have two younger brothers, neither of whom cycle. Their only hobby is eating. Is there any information that we don’t know about you? Yes that 10-years-ago I used to spend my time smoking, drinking and not being sporty at all; I was 20 kg heavier. There has been quite a change since that time.

Website: www.marijndevries.nl

Twitter: @marijnfietst

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a father, mother and a brother. What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? To have fun in all the things you do.

Country:

Rider type:

What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Big decisions are scary but when you make a decision some really cool things come from it.

The Netherlands

sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

15/10/1982

Fanatic, social, family

What has been the most important moment in your career? When Leontien van Moorsel took me onto her team and gave me the change to live like a professional.

Height: 177cm

person

Which race are you most proud of? My eighth place in the Ronde van Drenthe last year. The weather conditions were horrendous and normally I thought that I couldn’t handle races like that: stressful, with positioning the key to success, and cobbles. That race I proved to myself that I was able to do it and it that gave me a lot of confidence for the other cobbled classics.

Description background Kirsten started racing later in her life, and for many years combined work with cycling. The most important moment of her career to date was when she stopped working and started to live as a full-time professional. Her blistering sprint soon resulted in some big wins. In addition to her sprinting capabilities, she is also a handy time trialist and has garnered several wins in that discipline. She also participated in the team pursuit at the Olympic Games in London.

What are your interests away from cycling? Reading, writing and drinking wines with friends. I also love spending quality time with my boyfriend and of course cycling is my hobby as well. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? I have had many beautiful moments on the bike and I experience them daily. There are moments when I am riding that time goes all by itself. Everything becomes more intense, the sun, the smells around me and I have the feeling that I am flying. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? I had a season where the sports manager didn’t have any trust in me at all, and every race he told me that I couldn’t do it and that I should stop cycling. That year it was really hard to stay motivated. Luckily I kept going and believed in myself, and look where I have ended up. What is your favourite race? I don’t have one favourite race but I love the pre-season classics. As long as it is a tough race I get better and better.

She has never been guided by so many experts, and she expects that this will benefit her significantly this coming year.

Kirsten Wild

Best result so far? My medal at the World Track Championships but I am also very proud of my victories in the World Cups, Giro and the Holland Ladies Tour. Which race are you most proud of? This year’s Tour of Qatar. I was in the break with six riders from just two different teams but I still managed to win the race. To out-smart them and be the strongest was an incredible feeling.

Weight: 63kg

What are your interests away from cycling? Reading, hanging out with friends and going on holiday. What is your favourite training session and why? Long endurance rides around our training base I enjoy riding through those surroundings in the good weather, and throwing in some hills now and then.

Last season was her first season with the team, and she achieved immediate success, winning the Ladies Tour of Qatar in impressive fashion. Kirsten is known for her power and her sprint, and the trainers and experts have analyzed her performance and adapted her training schedule to make her even stronger than last year.

What has been your toughest race ever? One stage of the Tour of Qatar. I was isolated in the break and was the only one from the team. There was a lot of attacking and I had to counter them all. I couldn’t do anything afterwards as I was exhausted. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? When my grandmother passed away and I was in Italy. That was a very hard moment on the bike.

This year she is aiming to become even faster, and she also wants to develop her time trialing by investing time in optimizing her position and doing some specific training. Like a few other riders in the team, her biggest dream is to become world champion, preferably on the road, but if it is on the track that would also be a dream come true.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? A sports teacher, that was my job before I turned fulltime professional .

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? A Journalist, which was my job before I started this adventure.

What is your favourite dish? Mushed potato stew, a typical Dutch dish.

What has been de best prank that you have pulled? I am not a type for practical jokes.

What is your best recipe? Pancakes.

What is your favourite dish? Pancakes.

What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? I would go on a ski holiday and climb the highest mountains.

What would you do with one million dollar/euros? I would start a professional women’s team. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? I wish that I were 10 years younger so I could be a professional cyclist for longer. What is your weirdest habit? You should ask my boyfriend but something that is quite weird is as soon as I wake up I check my mobile and look on twitter to see what’s going on. What is your favourite band/singer? I like lots of singer songwriters. Best sports person in the world and why? I have a lot of respect for many athletes but if I have to pick one name that would be Leontien van Moorsel.

This year she is aiming to make another step and become even faster, and she also wants to develop her time trialling by investing time in her position and doing some specific training. Website: www.kirstenwild.nl Twitter: @kirsten_wild

If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? To go on a relaxed ski holiday without having to think about being careful for cycling. What is your favourite band/singer? I love rock. But U2 and Coldplay are bands I like very much too. Best sports person in the world and why? Chris Hoy as he has achieved many impressive results over a long period of time yet he still stays really normal. What is your weirdest habit? I always put off things that I don’t like and in the end I forget it.

Marijn de Vries

RACE PREVIEW DEVELOPMENT Team “It has been the team’s wish for a long time to add a development team to the structure,” said Jens Lang. “This is in line with the team’s philosophy of working with young riders and supporting them with our structure to develop them into riders who can compete on the WorldTour level. Now, with the Development team, we can extend this process and have an impact on our riders earlier.

“Our training base will be in Erfurt, where all the riders will live so they can train together. We will coordinate the entire team during the training sessions from here.”

“The race program will consist of international races in Europe, with occasional races on other continents. One of the key periods during the season will be in April, after the Ronde van Normadie, with races like

the Triptyque des Monts et Château, Flèche Ardennais and Liège-Bastogne-Liège for U23. Then we will have a short break and the riders will prepare themselves for Paris-Roubaix U23 and the national championships.” “In the final part of the season it is possible that a few of the riders will get a stagiaire contract to ride with the WorldTour team, so we can see whether they can handle competition at the highest level and whether they can be of additional value to the team. Throughout the whole season we will be constantly looking for new talents to strengthen our team if necessary.”

#KeepChallenging: THE RIDER

“What is important here is that we will work very closely together with the experts, coaches and trainers to look at the riders’ development as athletes but also as individuals.”

Jenthe Biermans

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

Sweden

sprinter

The Netherlands

Sprinter. classics rider

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

05/09/1991

Kind, entrepreneurial,

Team player, hard

Height: 184cm

focused

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have two older brothers, both have cycled in the past as well. They are who introduced me to the sport.

30/10/1995 Height: 182cm

worker, character

Description background Christian started out mountain biking but soon switched to the road to profit from his strong physique, which he developed working on the family farm. When he started racing on the road he especially enjoyed the atmosphere in the bunch before the sprints.

What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? Nothing comes for free, you have to work for it.

Description background Inspired by his father, Jenthe started racing when he was 13 after having played soccer for many years and watching many races. His potential was obvious, as he immediately started winning. The biggest achievement of his cycling career so far is his national title and his victory in the junior Tour of Flanders.

He has raw talent and achieved some strong results last season. After finishing fourth in the U23 European championships, he really started believing that he could become a professional cyclist and has given it his all ever since.

Best result so far? When I won a bunch sprint in a UCI1.1 race.

Weight: 81kg

This coming season he hopes to develop his sprinting capabilities, as he want to win races and become one of the world’s best sprinters. He knows that he has to work hard in order to achieve this goal. The experts and trainers in the team have performed a great deal of testing and analysis with him, and they know exactly how to get him ready for the season.

What is your goal for upcoming season? To win races and become pro with the WorldTour team.

Which race are you most proud of? My victory and the fourth place at the European Championships. What are your interests away from cycling? I love to be out in the nature and going hunting. I also like carpentry. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? I don’t have one special moment but the days when everything is perfect when riding are the ones I enjoy the most.

Weight: 74kg

The dual character of the sport appeals to him – achieving great individual results but also riding as a team. Jenthe has the potential to become a classics specialist. The experts and coaches will work with him to improve his endurance and strength so that he can stay fresher in the long races and play a role in the finale. He hopes to learn as much as possible from the experts, coaches and trainers and also the riders on the WorldTour team this coming season, and then he is eager to turn his experience into results the following season. His biggest dream is to be offered a contract with the WorldTour team one day and battle for the win in one of his favorite races, the Tour of Flanders.

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? Must be a crash or something, to be honest I can’t think of one.

Website: christianbertilsson.se

Twitter: @BertilssonChri

Do you have any pets, if so what and what are their names? We have many pets at the farm, to be more specific we have 6,000 pigs! What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? Firstly I would buy 1,000 pigs, and the rest of the money I would take to Vegas and make sure that I have even more money when I return. If you could just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Take my gun and go for a really long hunt.

Best result so far? My victories in the Tour of Flanders and the Belgian Championships. What are your interests away from cycling? At home we have a farm, I always help my father on the farm and I absolutely love this. What has been your best moment on the bike? The final sprint in the Tour of Flanders.

What is your favourite race? The Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.

If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I would be a carpenter or a farmer. What has been the best prank that you have pulled? I am a big joker but I can’t think of one specific moment.

What has been the most important moment in your career? Winning my favourite race, the junior Tour of Flanders as Belgium champion.

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? During Paris Roubaix I was with one guy chasing the break. It took us 70km to get back to the front and I will never forget how tough this was.

What is your favourite training session and why? Going for a long endurance ride on a sunny day with my teammates.

The experts and trainers in the team have performed a great deal of testing and analysis with him, and they know exactly how to get him ready for the season.

Q&A What is the best lesson you’ve learnt throughout your life? Last season I was shortlisted to go to the World Championships and throughout the whole season I rode for the team. One race didn’t go as planned and I didn’t get selected for the Worlds. It was a huge disappointment for me, but it was a rough lesson on how to handle disappointments.

The dual character of the sport appeals to him – achieving great individual results but also riding as a team. Twitter: @jenthe_biermans

What is your favourite training session? The tough sessions are what I like the most. When you get back you can really feel that you have done something. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? A football player. Do you have any pets? We have lots of cats at home. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? I would travel around the world and invest money in my own life. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? It would be travelling around the world too. Best sports person in the world and why? Lionel Messi. He has broken so many records.

Christian Bertilsson

Alex Frame

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

Germany

Classification rider

New Zealand

sprinter

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

00/00/1900

Humorous, focused,

18/06/1993

Relaxed, sociable,

Height: 184cm

determined

Height: 184cm

motivated

Weight: 67kg Description background Jan was already fascinated by cycling at a young age, but watching the general classification battle unfold during the 2003 Tour de France as an eight-year-old gave him the boost he needed to join the local cycling club. This was a turning point in his life, as he has always loved cycling and has a huge passion for the sport. He is very happy to be part of the development team, as he doesn’t think there is a better team to help him grow as a young rider. He is looking forward to benefiting from the ideal training conditions and the guidance, as well as to living and training as a team in Erfurt and to the ambitious race program. His goal for this next season is to further develop his time trialing and climbing skills, with the ultimate goal of becoming a good general classification rider. He is also targeting some hilly one-day races. He dreams of one day reaching the WorldTour level.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a little sister, she´s 14 years old and is very talented in all things I would totally fail! She´s good at painting, singing and is a lovely pianist. What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? I see cycling in itself as the best lesson throughout my life, it teaches you endless good things that you can use in all aspects of your life. Best result so far? The German junior national road race title has been my biggest victory so far. What is your favourite training session and why? My favourite session is riding for hours in the mountains, with perfect weather conditions. Training is very varied like that and the hours seem to pass very quickly.

Weight: 76kg Description background Alex began playing soccer when he was four years old. At some point he started cycling, but he couldn’t give up soccer easily. When he was 16, though, he saw that he had more talent for cycling and focused on that. He started on the track but in 2012 switched to the road. Although he achieved a great deal of success on the track and won several medals in various events, he decided to make the transition to road racing. Last season was all about learning how to race and knowing what to do. This next year, with the help of the team’s experts, trainers and coaches, he is eager to learn a lot but is keen to race for success as well. Alex has fast legs and will be the team’s designated sprinter. He dreams of winning one-day races in the future and hopes to establish himself on the WorldTour circuit and not spend his whole life fighting to get there.

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? My two most embarrassing moments on the bike were my two broken collarbones in 2011 and 2012, both in the Nations Cup Tour of Istria in Croatia with a time gap of 364 days - fate!? What is your favourite dish? My favourite dish is breakfast. For me it´s the most important meal of the day and I enjoy it every morning. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? I would buy an expensive car and I would travel to some cool places and countries in the off-season breaks. But the rest of the money I would save in a bank. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would go out on my bike and never stop.

What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? You can’t make everyone happy. What has been the most important moment in your career? The most significant moment was when I choose to stop doing track and focused on the road last year. Best result so far? When I got on the podium in the National U23Champs, my first proper road race.

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? One of the most beautiful places I have been with the bike is the peak of Mont Ventoux, where you have beautiful view over all Provence, but there are many other lovely places I´ve been with the bike.

Which race are you most proud of? When I road the U23 Tour of Flanders. To know that I could race with these guys was really good for my confidence and I started to believe in a career as road cyclist.

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? The hardest moment on the bike I remember was the last mountain on the final stage of the 2013 Tour of Bulgaria. I passed the top in the second group and was so dead that even today I can´t remember the last km of the climb and the rest of the descent. But my coach said that I really don´t want to see this!

He is looking forward to benefiting from the ideal training conditions and the guidance, as well as to living and training as a team in Erfurt and to the ambitious race program.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have an older brother, 22.

What are your interests away from cycling? I love going to the beach, surfing, swimming, having a relaxed lifestyle.

This next year, with the help of the team’s experts, trainers and coaches, he is eager to learn a lot but is keen to race for success as well.

What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? Probably when I am back home and training in the summer. It is great training and I enjoy every minute of riding in New Zealand’s beautiful nature. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? When I was 13 and cycling to school I was going downhill way too fast. I crashed and took out my tooth and cut open my chin. It was horrible because I was so young and it was pointless as I was only going to school and wasn’t even late. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? I would invest in a holiday home. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Skydiving or base jumping.

Jan Brockhoff

Country:

Rider type:

The Netherlands

Cyclo-cross

Date of Birth:

Description:

23/07/1991

Social, driven, a winner

Height: 168cm Weight: 58kg Description background Lars started in gymnastics and reached a high level, training several times a week. Injury put a stop to his training, however, and as his father was already cycling he easily switched from gymnastics to cyclo-cross and has been very successful in the sport ever since. He won the 2013 Dutch championships and finished an impressive third at the 2013 world championships. This season he has progressed further and has already won a handful of races. Lars is part of the development team but will continue to focus on cyclo-cross, only participating in certain road races in the summer as preparation for next winter. The team will support him with a program and coaching staff in order to help him improve. Lars sees himself developing in the team with the right people and environment around him. It is important for him that the team not only help him to develop personally but also that he has the best equipment, as this is crucial if he is to be successful.

Is there anything we don’t know about you? Everybody knows everything about me, I am an open person.

Kristian Haugaard Jensen

What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? Life can be very short.

Country:

Rider type:

Denmark

All-rounder

Date of Birth:

Description:

Do you have a nickname? As I am not the tallest person on earth, I get called anything that is involved with being small.

27/02/1991

Happy, shy, focused

What is your goal for the upcoming season? To become Dutch national champion and to finish on the podium at the World Championships. What is your biggest dream in cycling? Being a professional for many more years and to become World Champion one day. What has been the most important moment in your career? Becoming World Champion twice in a row and still being successful when I made the step to the elite ranks. What are your interests away from cycling? Nothing special, relaxing mostly. Going out for dinner or lunch or having some time off and going on holiday. What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? Crossing the finish line and becoming World Champion. You can never really believe it and it feels surreal. What is your favourite training session? Cross / technique training.

Height: 181cm Weight: 66kg Description background Kristian has ridden for many years, and he has been a huge talent right from the start. In his career so far he has achieved many strong results, especially in the more difficult races and as a general classification contender. The team has followed Kristian for a long time now and spotted his qualities early on. He reinforced the scouts’ belief this season by winning the climber’s jersey at the Tour de l’Avenir, the Tour de France for U23 riders, as well as finishing second in the general classification at the Czech Cycling Tour. After much analysis and testing, taken together with the results of previous years, the experts, trainers and coaches have made a plan to help Kristian further develop his strength and endurance to become a better and stronger overall rider. This coming season he hopes to have a successful year with the team and continue his path to one day becoming a professional cyclist with Team Giant-Shimano. But his main focus will be on the team’s success. The experts and coaches believe he is very close to making the step up to the WorldTour level.

What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Las Vegas.

It is important for him that the team not only help him to develop personally but also that he has the best equipment, as this is crucial in cyclo-cross. Website: www.larsvanderhaar.nl Twitter: @larsvanderhaar

Facebook: Lars-van-der-Haar

What is your favourite dish? Pancakes but I also love beef. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? Save it in the bank, I wouldn’t do anything with it. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? Going to Australia, that country really appeals to me. What is your weirdest habit? Clicking my head constantly, but I have almost stopped doing that now. Best sports person in the world and why? Cyclo crosser Richard Groenendaal.

What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? To live for the moment and enjoy every minute. What is your biggest dream in cycling? Living as a cyclist and being a professional and having a really long career in the sport as this is my biggest passion. What has been the most important moment in your career? All my victories in my career, especially last year’s wins.

Most embarrassing moment on the bike? When I first met Lucy, we went for a ride and rode through a gap with one hand on the bars and I fell off. It was not really embarrassing but very funny. What has been the best prank that you have pulled? I don’t do big jokes but constantly small, stupid things.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a father, a mother and a younger sister. My sister has never cycled though.

Best result so far? My second place overall at the Czech Cycling Tour.

The experts and coaches believe he is very close to making the step up to the WorldTour level.

Which race are you most proud of? I don’t have a specific race or moment but I am very proud of the season that I had last year. I improved a lot and also achieved many strong results. I couldn’t have wished for more last season. What are your interests away from cycling? Friends, shopping and being social. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? Mallorca and Luxembourg. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? Buy a nice place and enjoy living there. What is your weirdest habit? I don’t know at the moment what my weird habits are. I should have some but can’t think of any.

Lars van der Haar

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a father, a mother and a younger sister. I live together with my girlfriend, Lucy Garner who is also part of the team.

Robert Pölder

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a younger brother who is not interested in sport at all. The thing he does most is play computer games.

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

Sweden

All-rounder

Sweden

All-rounder

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

28/04/1994

Loyal, shy, focused

21/06/1991

Ambitious, reliable, kind

Height: 189cm

Height: 191cm

Weight: 72kg Description background Fredrik is the brother of Tobias Ludvigsson, who is a member of the WorldTour team. Fredrik started cycling because he wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps, and although his brother is performing very well Fredrik wants to be even better one day. He is, just like his brother, a very talented stage racer and showed his qualities last season with his victory in the Boucle de l’Artois and his second place at the Tour of Estonia. Together with the experts, trainers and coaches he has made a plan to develop as a general classification contender. Fredrik is dreaming big and isn’t shy about letting everyone know this. His biggest dream is to win the Tour de France one day. This coming season will be all about development and taking the next steps as a rider to reach the WorldTour level.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters As everybody knows, Tobias is my brother, after that it is just my mum and dad. You could say that cycling runs in the family. What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? That is a difficult question. I have a ‘give 100%’ mentality, but I also find it important to be nice to people and treat them as you want to be treated. What has been the most important moment in your career? That is an easy one, definitely my victory in Boucle de l’Artois Best result so far? That victory but also my second place in the Tour of Estonia, where I really showed that I have potential to become a good and stable GC rider. What do you like about cycling? I like the teamwork involved in cycling. Many people think it is an individual sport, but it is actually a team sport just like football. It is a great feeling when you achieve a goal with the team that you have all worked hard for.

Weight: 81kg Description background One of the tallest riders on the team, Robert is a former hockey goalkeeper who dreamed about playing in the NHL. One summer he started riding his bike to improve his condition, and a year later he was enjoying riding so much that he stopped playing hockey and invested his time in chasing his new dream: becoming a professional cyclist.

Best result so far? Winning the U23 Swedish championships. Which race are you most proud of? When I became Swedish U23 Champion, everything went very smoothly and I was really strong. It’s an incredible feeling when everything falls into place.

Robert will have an important role in the development team as a road captain. He has already gained significant experience throughout his years of racing and has a good view of how races unfold; he can make a well-thoughtout decision in a split second. Through talks with the team’s coaches and other riders on the WorldTour team he will be aiming to develop further in the role of team captain this coming season. By following dedicated training schedules, he hopes to make another step up and join the WorldTour team in 2015. His biggest dream in cycling is to win one of his favorite races: the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix.

What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? The Arctic Race of Norway, the landscapes were just incredible. Those moments you realise why you cycle.

This coming season will be all about development and taking the next steps as a rider to reach the WorldTour level.

Twitter: @tLudvigsson94

What is your favourite training session and why? The short and very hard interval sessions. When you get home afterwards you know you have really done some training. Most embarrassing moment on the bike? Honestly, I don’t have many embarrassing moments. If you weren’t a rider what would you be? I don’t know exactly, but something I could excel in. I always want to be the best and get everything out of myself. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? I would start a cycling team and try to become the best team out there. If you could only do one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would go on an around-the-world trip.

What has been the most important moment in your career? Joining the team will be probably the most important moment of my career so far. I really believe that the team can help me to become a professional and that they will give me all the guidance that I need in order to make the final step.

He has a good view of how races unfold and can make a well-thought-out decision in a split second. Website: www.robertpolder.se Twitter: @RobertPolder

What do you like about cycling? The freedom you have on the bike. You can train whenever and wherever you want. Next to that it is just the world that I like, all aspects of the sport. What are your interests away from cycling? My dad has a skiing shop and I like to work there. What is your favourite training session and why? Long rides when the sun is shining. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? All the stages of the Arctic Race of Norway. It is really beautiful, sometimes I struggled to even focus on the race; I have never seen such beautiful places in my life before. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? That would be a race in Belgium at the beginning of the season. It was zero degrees and everywhere we went there was snow on the side of the road. You couldn’t even ride your bike in the days before the race. The race was 200k’s and I was freezing right from the start. The final 100km was even tougher, and after the race I was completely exhausted but happy that I survived the race. Most embarrassing moment on the bike? I picked up two bottles and held onto them for too long and couldn’t brake. All of a sudden the guys in front of me braked and I ran into the back of my teammates. Luckily nobody crashed, but everybody saw it and was laughing about it. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? Buy a house for my mum and with the money I have left over I would go travelling with the whole family. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? I would go on an around-the-world trip.

Fredrik Ludvigsson

Mathias Rask

Maximilian Schachmann

Country:

Rider type:

Country:

Rider type:

Denmark

All-rounder

Germany

Time Trialist, GC rider

Date of Birth:

Description:

Date of Birth:

Description:

18/10/1995

Serious, extravert,

09/01/1994

Ambitious, disciplined,

Height: 184cm

outgoing

Height: 183cm

funny

Weight: 72kg

Description background Mathias took up cycling after leaving soccer eight years ago. Both his father, who rode when he was young, and the challenging character of the sport inspired Mathias to get serious. He is one of the youngsters on the team, and alongside cycling he will be focused on finishing his school exams this season. The experts, coaches and trainers foresee a bright future for him in the cycling world, as he likes the tough races and has the right mental and physical abilities to go a long way in the sport. He will be aiming to show everybody that he has the potential to earn a spot on the WorldTour team in two years. It is also important for him to gain as much experience as possible and to learn from the experts, coaches and trainers and also the other riders on the WorldTour team. His biggest dream is to win one of the big cobbled classics one day, either Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have a father who is a bank director and a mother who is a teacher. Next to that I have one little brother who plays football, just like me before. Do you have a nickname? I don’t have a nickname but friends always call me Rask, my last name. What was the most important moment in your career? My victory in a Danish crit changed my career as people started realising that I have a lot of talent. The team I was riding for realised my strength and got to know me better as they didn’t know me that well prior to that. Best result so far? The same victory because there were a lot of Danish professionals there. It was kind of a Danish Tour of Flanders.

Description background Maximilian’s father inspired him to take up cycling, and he has been infected with the cycling bug since he started riding in 2005. Maximilian is a true talent, and he proved this by taking a bronze medal in last year’s junior time trial world championships. He has the potential to become one of the top German time trial specialists within the next few years. Together with the experts, trainers and coaches he has made a plan to further develop his skills against the clock, and he hopes to win a time trial this coming season. With the science and development experts he has found the ideal aerodynamic position at training camp, and by following a dedicated training schedule he hopes to take another step forward in his development. His biggest dream in cycling is to become a professional rider on the WorldTour team. In addition to winning a time trial this coming season, he hopes to participate in the European and world championships, as he did last year.

What has been your most beautiful moment on the bike? When you win a race that you have trained for, for a very long time, crossing the finish line and knowing you have achieved your goal is an incredible feeling. Those moments are the most beautiful moments on the bike.

It is important for him to gain as much experience as possible and to learn from the experts, coaches and trainers and also the other riders on the WorldTour team.

Twitter: @MathiasRask95

What has been the best prank that you have pulled? Hard to say, can’t think of anything that quickly. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? Buy a house and car, and take my family on holiday. The rest I would save in the bank. What is your weirdest habit? Maybe it is not that weird, but I tend to go to bed very early. Most of the time I go to bed at around 21:00. You can decide if that is weird or not!

What is the best lesson learnt throughout your life? That is a tough question, everyday you learn something new. What has been the most important moment in your career? When I took the bronze medal at the World Championship time trial last year. What are your interests away from cycling? I am quite technical and I enjoy building loudspeakers. That is maybe also the reason why I am a time trialist as technique and equipment are key to success. What is the most beautiful place you have ever been with the bike? I love Corsica, when I was there with my parents on holiday I had my bike with me and it was really cool to ride there.

What is your favourite training and why? Volume training riding for a long time; I love to go out on my bike for five/six hours rides. What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? A race in Belgium, I was in the break and I really emptied the tank. When I crossed the finish my whole body hurt. Although it was a very tough experience, it was a good one.

Q&A Information about your family/brothers/sisters I have an older sister and two half-sisters. None of them cycle, my dad and I are the only ones who ride.

Together with the experts, trainers and coaches he has made a plan to further develop his skills against the clock, and he hopes to win a time trial this coming season.

What has been the hardest moment on the bike in your life? The moments when you are climbing and the other riders are a little bit better, you have to be so strong to not get dropped. Those moments are really hard as you are really push your limits. What would you do with one million dollar/ euros? I would give some money to my old club in Berlin to help develop more young talents. Next to that I would invest my money in property and have a good life living off these. If you could do just one more thing in your life, what would that be? One more thing… I would travel around the world and see as many different countries as possible.

Weight: 76kg

The team’s service course, located in Deventer, the Netherlands, is the heart of our organization. The whole organization is driven from here. All the team’s equipment is stored in the warehouse; the management and staff have their offices here; and there is an innovation lab for the experts, coaches and trainers and two large rooms (named after two mountains, Galibier and Stelvio) for internal meetings (with riders, staff, coaches, etc.) or meetings with external people.

STAFF LIST General Manager Finance Performance | Innovation | Logistics Management support HR | Operations & Planning Communication Press Officer

Iwan Spekenbrink Marloes Poelman

Stephan Jacolino

Yvonne Baltus

Chris Jansen Nando Liem

Konstanze Haue Geert Broekhuizen

Soigneurs & Physiotherapists

David Deroo Lukasz Dudala

Commerce

Birgit Soethof

Patrique Högemann

Commerce

Charel Spekenbrink

Tomaz Jeras

Bert Kingma

Dariusz Kapidura

Advisor

Maarten Belgers

Kati Lang

Coaches

Addy Engels

Vincent Moreels

Christian Guiberteau

Hans Peters

Rudi Kemna

Kevin Pfeifer

Lionel Marie

Ignacio Rodriguez

Legal

Michał Szyszkowski

Marc Reef Dirk Reuling Trainer/Coach

Technical Research & Development Embedded Scientist Dietician

Anko Boelens

Jorn Knops

Mechanics

Krzysztof Dabrowski

Aike Visbeek

Berteld Dekker

Jens Lang

Felipe Ennes Houdjakoff

Ruud Verhagen

Martin Fiedler

Adriaan Helmantel

Simon Foster-Moan

Mattias Reck

Bart van Gog

Experts

warehouse manager The final employee on the first floor is the warehouse manager, who is responsible for all the bikes and other equipment that goes to the races. The team races in up to six races a day, and because the riders don’t bring their own bikes and helmets there must be a dedicated plan identifying which bikes need to go in which trucks and where. The warehouse manager is also responsible for all the equipment that goes to the riders and for the stripping and building up of all the bikes. He is supported in this by two other mechanics who work in the workshop in the warehouse, preparing the bikes for all the races.

Janneke Pieterson

Bennie Ceulen

Trainers

office staff The office staff are located on two levels. On the first level, the operations department does its work. The finance staff monitor the budget (what comes in and what goes out) but also all the licenses for the UCI and contracts with the riders. The human resources and logistics employees organize all the race entries, contact the riders, and manage all the hotels, flight bookings and cars for the riders and staff during races or training camps.

Cook Medical staff

Oliver Grabowski Tom Davids

Alex Ritze

Teun van Erp

Marcel van Rossum

Rob van der Werf

Ramon van de Velde

management The management is located on the second level. The general manager manages the entire organization and makes sure the team is continuing its growth process and that everyone is driven to improve. The commercial manager manages all contact with the sponsors and searches for new business opportunities for the team. Marketing and communication is the final department on the second level. This department makes sure that the team’s various audiences get to know what the team stands for and manages relations with the press and fans.

science lab The science lab, where the experts meet to discuss new developments and ways to improve, is also located here. The coaches and trainers work either from our training base in Altea or from their homes, or they are on the road for a race, so basically they are all over the world. In addition to the experts, coaches and trainers the team has soigneurs, mechanics, doctors, cooks and physiotherapists. Just like the coaches, they are on the road and all over the world. They come to the service course to prepare for races.

Team Giant-Shimano in a nutshell

CALENDER 2014 MEN May Santos Tour Down Under

February 02

Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise

August

February Giro d’Italia

11 - 18

Amgen Tour of California

16 - 18

Tour de Picardie

24 - 25

World Ports Classic

04 - 07

Ladies Tour of Qatar

03 09 - 17

March

Sparkassen Giro La Route de France

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad-vrouwen elite / Circuit Het

Open de Suède Vargarda TTT

05 - 09

Etoile de Bessèges

Nieuwsblad-Femmes Elite

Open de Suède Vargarda

05 - 08

Dubai Tour

05 - 01 JUNE

Bayern Rundfahrt

Le Samyn des Dames

GP de Plouay-Bretagne

13 - 16

Tour Méditerranéen Cycliste Professionnel

05 - 01 JUNE

Baloise Belgium Tour

Omloop van het Hageland - Tielt-Winge

19 - 23

Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol

June

Drentse 8

22 - 23

Tour Cycliste International du Haut Var-matin

01.06

Grand Prix Südkärnten

Boels Rental Ronde van Drenthe

World Championships TTT

01.06

Boucles de l’Aulne - Châteaulin

Novilon EDR Cup

World Championships TT

World Championships Road

March 01

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite

01.06

Tr. Città di San Vendemiano - GP Industria e Commercio

Dwars door Vlaanderen

Classic Sud Ardèche - Souvenir Francis Delpech

07.06

Ronde Van Zeeland Seaports

Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio

Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne

La Drôme Classic

07 - 09

Driedaagse van West Vlaanderen

18 - 22 25

Ster ZLM Toer GP Jan van Heeswijk Halle-Ingooigem

July

Strade Bianche

05 - 27

Roma Maxima

August 02 - 04

Tour de France

Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres

Grand Prix de Dottignies

09 - 13

Ronde van Gelderland

Kreiz Breizh Elites

La Flèche Wallonne Féminine

Paris - Nice

12 - 18

Tirreno-Adriatico

Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian

EPZ Omloop van Borsele WE

Nokere Koerse - Danilith Classic

Prudential RideLondon Classic

Dwars door de Westhoek

Milano-Sanremo Volta Ciclista a Catalunya

03.09 07 - 14

Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

02 02 - 04

Ronde van Overijssel Women

Dwars door Vlaanderen / A travers la Flandre

E3 Harelbeke

GP de Fourmies / La Voix du Nord

Critérium International

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens - Rondom Leuven

Gent - Wevelgem

Grand Prix de Wallonie

Tour of Chongming Island World Cup

Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

Omloop der Kempen

VDK-Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde

Primus Classic Impanis - Van Petegem

Boels Rental Hills Classic

Volta Limburg Classic

Grand Prix d’Isbergues - Pas de Calais

Rabobank 7-Dorpenomloop Aalburg

Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres

World Championships TTT

07 - 12

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco

Omloop van het Houtland Lichtervelde

Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik

08 - 15

Critérium du Dauphiné

World Championships TT

Parel van de Veluwe

08 - 11

Circuit Cycliste Sarthe - Pays de la Loire

Gooikse Pijl

Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria

Scheldeprijs

Duo Normand

12 - 15

Emakumeen Euskal Bira

Paris - Roubaix

World Championships Road

19 - 21

Ster Zeeuwsche Eilanden

Tour de Suisse

Ruota d’Oro - GP Festa del Perdono

30 April 01 - 03

14 - 22

Tour of Britain

October

Festival Luxembourgeois du cyclisme féminin Elsy Jacobs

14 - 16

Tour of Chongming Island

June

July 04 - 13

De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne

Amstel Gold Race

La Flèche Wallonne

Liège - Bastogne - Liège

Sparkassen Münsterland Giro

19 - 20

BeNe Ladies Tour

Tour de Romandie

Giro del Piemonte

24 - 27

Tour Féminin en Limousin

Binche - Chimay - Binche / Mémorial Frank Vandenbroucke

29 - 04 MAY May

01 02 - 05

Milano-Torino

National Championships Belgium - ITT

Paris-Bourges

Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt

Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli

4 Jours de Dunkerque / Tour du Nord-pas-de-Calais

Nationale Sluitingprijs - Putte - Kapellen

Giro d’Italia Internazionale Femminile Championnat d’Europe U23 / U23 European Championship WU Tour de Picardie

Tour de l’Eurométropole

01 07 - 11

Boels Rental Ladies Tour

May

26 29 - 30

02 - 07

Energiewacht Tour

September

April

09 - 16

24 - 30

09 - 01 JUNE

JANUAry 21 - 26

CALENDER 2014 woMEN

CALENDER 2014 the bike Development March 08

Ster van Zwolle

Dorpenomloop Rucphen

Ronde v Drenthe

Handzame Tour de Normandie

April 04 - 06

Triptique Monts et Chateaux

11 - 13

Circuit des Ardennes

Liege.Bastogne.Liege

Rund um Köln

May 03

Ronde van Overijssel

07 - 11

Tour d’Azerbaidjan

14 - 18

Giro del Friuli

Types of framesets

ProRace Berlin

Team Giant-Shimano’s WorldTour team:

Paris.Arras Tour

TCR , Propel, Defy

18 23 - 25 25

Omloop der Kempen Team Giant-Shimano’s Women’s Team: Envy

June 01

Paris.Roubaix U23

Memorial Philip v Coningsloo

12 - 16

Tour de L’Oise

20 - 22

Oberösterreichrundfahrt

National Championships

Time Trial: Trinity Bike parts:

July

Bottles (and cage):

17 - 20

Saddle:

Czech Cycling Tour Perenchies

Tyres:

pRO VIBE Elite Pro Vittoria

August

Spokes:

Sapim

30.7 - 03

Cycling clothing:

Giant

Under clothing:

Giant

10 12 - 16 19 - 22 22

Tour d’Alsace Antwerpse Havenpijl Tour de L’Ain Tour du Limousin Dutch Food Valley Classic

Sunglasses:

Uvex

Helmets:

Uvex

Nutrition:

Born

September

Power diagnostics:

Leuven

Tools:

Izegem

Tour Bohemia

Lubricant:

SRM Park Tool Morgan Blue

Sport clothing:

Giant

Casual clothing:

Giant

October

Sport shoes:

Quick

Massage products:

22 28

Team Giant-Shimano’s development team: TCR

World Championships Gooikse Pijl Münsterland Parijs.Tours U23

Communication:

Born Jacobs Breda Electronics

Heart rate:

Polar

Bags & suitcases:

Giant

Skin protection:

ReSkin

Compression socks:

Giant

Cool vests:

IZI Body Cooling

24 - 30

The Team Giant-Shimano riders will be equipped for the 2014 season with Giant’s TCR, Propel, Defy and Envy frames, complete with Shimano Di2 groupsets for electronic shifting. These top model Giant bikes are proven to be lightweight and high in stiffness. Shimano will also supply the team with a wide range of tubular wheels, and PRO will finish the bikes off with carbon fibre bars, stems, and seat posts. For time trials, the team will be using the Giant Trinity frame. Several Team Giant-Shimano riders have already had high-end bike-fitting sessions on their new machines with the team’s Technical Research & Development staff who are responsible for finding a perfect fit on the bike, and everyone is looking forward to racing the new bikes this coming season.

Ethics is one of the key values of Team Giant-Shimano. The team was one of the first members of the MPCC (Mouvement pour un Cyclisme Crédible – Movement for Credible Cycling), which was established by a number of French and German ProTour teams during the 2007 Tour de France to strengthen the image and credibility of cycling. Team Giant-Shimano joined in 2008.

All members are dedicated to being strictly compliant with the ethical code of the MPCC, whose rules are more rigorous than the UCI rules. “The MPCC’s member teams apply stringent internal rules and guidelines to strengthen the credibility of the team and thus also of cycling in general. In doing so we take responsibility ourselves, thus contributing to a clean sport,”

says Iwan Spekenbrink, who is also MPCC’s vice president.

#KeepChallenging: THE TEAM

Training TECH BASE Live like a professional cyclist and enjoy the unique and unforgettable cycling experience at the Tech Team Base of Team Giant-Shimano. At the beautiful location of Cambrils Park in Spain is the training base of Team Giant-Shimano which offers access to the team 365 days per year. The Tech Team Base offers active cycling holidays for fans, cycling enthusiasts, business relations and employees. The experience: – Bike rides with a guide – Mechanic workshops – Lectures by the Team coaches – Eat like & with pro cyclists and staff members of the Team

The Official webshop for the Team GiantShimano fan. Other articles: – Team Casual Wear – Staff Kit – Merchandise – Photo Cards and other team articles.

– Work out with the Team in the gym – Shop Team Giant-Shimano products – Relaxing massages at the Spa – Conference rooms – Team building opportunities

Pre-order your official Team Race Kit here! http://webshop.teamgiantshimano.com

Check out our new website with all the information you need to know about Team Giant-Shimano ALL ABOUT: – Rider profiles with videos, photos, Q&A and much more – Calender & Results – Training Tips – Technical Tips – Equipment – Multimedia – News

See you there and show your support by leaving us a message and using:

#KeepChallenging

New website: www.teamgiantshimano.com

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Concept:

Geert Broekhuizen

Marit Huisman

Tom Copeland

Proud Design

Photography:

Graphic Design &

Wouter Roosenboom

Layout:

Cor Vos

Proud Design

Wessel van Keuk Chris Milliman Media Contact: media@keepchallenging.com

The content of this magazine is the original and copyrighted work of Team GiantShimano unless otherwise attributed. No copyright is claimed on non-original or licensed material. Team Giant-Shimano has made every effort to give proper credit where necessary. However, if you believe any of this material is yours or is being used inappropriately, please contact us so the situation can be addressed immediately.

Brandstofverbruik gemiddeld 3,8-6,1 l/100 km (1 op 16,3-26,3) CO2-emissie 99-141 g/km.

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Kortom, wil jij ook exclusief toegang tot de wielersport? Ga naar www.skodatours.nl en schrijf je daar meteen in voor de gratis ŠKODAtours nieuwsbrief. Dan weet je zeker dat je niets hoeft te missen!

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