Team Giant-Alpecin is pleased to announce the signing of Laurens ten Dam (NED) for 2016. Ten Dam’s addition to the roster for next season will provide support for the team’s up-and-coming GC riders Warren Barguil (FRA) and Tom Dumoulin (NED).
Ten Dam comes over from Team LottoNL-Jumbo, where he raced for eight years. The transfer comes at the right moment in his career, when the 34-year-old was looking for a different approach.
His best results include ninth place in the final Tour de France GC last year, eighth place in the final GC of the Vuelta in 2012, fifth at the Tour Down Under in 2011 and eighth in the Tour de Suisse GC in 2011. He also won the opening stage of the Critérium International in 2008.
Team Giant-Alpecin coach Rudi Kemna said: “We were looking for a rider who is strong in the high mountains to support our GC riders and who also fit in with the profile and philosophy of the team, and in Laurens we have found that rider. Although the team’s execution of its Keep Challenging sports approach commonly leads to identifying and recruiting talented riders at a younger age and then guiding them to their peak performance years, the relatively ‘older’ ten Dam was recruited for a particular task in the overall team, for which Team Giant-Alpecin had identified his specific experience and skills. We know that he has class and we expect him to play a significant and specific role in the team’s race plan on the climbs. Besides his physical ability, we will make use of his tactical knowledge. We will offer Laurens optimum guidance to help him and motivate him to keep aiming for further improvement in certain areas, despite his apparent status as a rider who has ‘arrived,’ so he can continue to get the most out of his career.”
“I broke my back two weeks after the Tour de France, which made me step back and look at a few things differently,” said ten Dam. "I wanted to do a good season in Europe and live in the US. At Team Giant-Alpecin all this came together in a good way, and I will have those opportunities. I am looking forward to working in a challenging new environment and aim to play an important role for Warren Barguil and Tom Dumoulin and share my experience on the highest level.”