Second Grand Tour in history of Dutch team
The Dutch Skil-Shimano squad has said that it is determined to reward the team’s selection for the Vuelta a España, making it clear that it plans to be very competitive in the race.
The team was one of four confirmed this morning for this year’s event, joining Geox – TMC, Andalucia Caja Granada and Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne as wildcard selections.
It previously made its Grand Tour debut when it rode the Tour de France in 2009. This will be the first time it competes in the Vuelta a España and, according to directeur sportif Rudi Kemna, it will head to Spain aiming big.
“The participation of Skil-Shimano in this big race is important for the talented and ambitious group of cyclists and their motivation to succeed is really high,” he said.
“Everyone wants to take up the challenge. The cyclists are already looking forward to prove themselves in one of the three biggest cycling races in the world. Our goal is to win at least one stage.”
The team has taken eleven victories this season, including stage wins in the Tour de Langkawi and Presidential Tour of Turkey. Kenny Van Hummel has also taken two stages plus the overall classification in the Ronde Van Drenthe, while Marcel Kittel picked up victories on four out of the five stages in the Four Days of Dunkirk race.
The Vuelta begins on August 20th and in addition to the wildcard squads, the sport’s 18 ProTeams will also take part.
General manager Iwan Spekenbrink makes it clear that he appreciates the selection. “We’d like to thank Vuelta director Javier Guillén and Unipublic for their confidence in our cyclists, our organization and policy,” he said. “This prestigious invitation is a great reward for all the effort made by our cyclists and staff.
“Of course, it’s also a great reward for our loyal sponsors, who always fully support the team, who contribute to the team’s development and share our clear vision on cycling”.
He described the race as a ‘fantastic sports challenge’ for the team.