Team LottoNL-Jumbo - Overview
Seven victories - that's the sobering result of Team LottoNL-Jumbo 2015. Actually, you can't be satisfied with that, but the fact that it was still enough for a ninth place in the WorldTour team ranking shows that victories are not everything.
However, the classics were really something to forget in 2015 for the Dutch team, which actually has a really strong rider for this terrain in their ranks in Sep Vanmarcke. The 27-year-old Belgian has played for Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders on the podium and was also one of the extended favorites in 2015 - but everything turned out differently. First he missed the leap into the crucial breakaway group in Flanders and landed on one more than disappointing 53rd place, then a flat tire stopped him at the wrong time in Roubaix and he was able to only save an eleventh place. Top 10 placements at the E3 Harelbeke, Strade Bianche and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad then reconciled a little.
However, the performances in the Grand Tours were promising, even if there was only one day's victory. First Steven Kruijswijk impressed on the difficult mountain stages of the Giro d'Italia and finished seventh overall. His Dutch compatriot Robert Gesink did the same a few months later in the Tour de France: although he was unable to win a stage, he still managed to achieve a more than respectable sixth place in Paris. Bert-Jan Lindeman then managed to win the long-awaited Grand Tour day victory at the Vuelta when he triumphed after the seventh stage in Capilleira.
Also in 2016, the focus of Team LottoNL-Jumbo will without a doubt be on the Grand Tours, where with Robert Gesink and Steven Kruijswijk they also have two more than promising drivers in their ranks. If they can maintain their level and maybe even throw in one or two stage wins and if Sep Vanmarcke gets back on track in time for the classic season, the 2016 season should undoubtedly end more successfully than the previous year.
The many newcomers from the ProContinental and Continental teams are striking: In the future, LottoNL-Jumbo would like to focus on young drivers with potential - a nice approach. Laurens ten Dam's departure to Giant-Alpecin was less nice for the team – he had been part of the team for eight years. With him you not only lose a very good driver, but also a real role model.
Team LottoNL-Jumbo – Transfers
Departures: Brian Bulgac (De Volharding), Rick Flens (unknown), Barry Markus (Team Roompot), Laurens ten Dam (Team Giant-Alpecin), Nick van der Lijke (Roompot-Oranje Peloton)
Additions: Koen Bouwman (SEG Racing), Victor Campenaerts (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Twan Castelijns (Baby Dump), Dylan Groenewegen (Roompot-Oranje Peloton), Steven Lammertink (Neo), Primož Roglič (Adria Mobil), Dennis van Winden (Synergy Baku), Alexey Vermeulen (Neo)
Team LottoNL-Jumbo – team bikes and equipment
team bike: Tradition is very important to the Dutch team here: As in previous years, the bikes come from the Italian cult manufacturer Bianchi. So Robert Gesink and colleagues will also be out and about on the Celeste-colored beauties in 2016 and will have the choice between the long-established Bianchi Oltre XR2 and the Bianchi Specialissima, which was only presented last year. The feather-light Specialissima is more a case for the climbing goats, while the slightly more aerodynamic and stiffer Oltre is not impressed by even the strongest sprinter legs. If you want a little more comfort on the cobblestones of Belgium and France, you can fall back on the endurance racer Bianchi Bianchi Infinito CV. In the fight against the clock, the choice is clear: All drivers will take a seat on the Bianchi Aquila CV.
Equipment: As with the team bike, there are no changes to the equipment for 2016 and you still rely on the usual quality from Shimano - with the drive, gears and wheels.
disc brakes: The Infinito CV Disc will be available to the LottoNL pros in 2016 as the only disc wheel in the Bianchi portfolio. But in contrast to many other endurance bikes from WorldTour suppliers, the Infinito is a popular choice among the pros and has already clocked up quite a few race kilometers in recent seasons. The supply of components is not a problem for the pros of the Dutch team: Shimano has both brakes and matching wheels in its range.