Kruijswijk and ten Dam extend with Rabobank

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Steven Kruijswijk and Laurens ten Dam, two of Rabobank's best riders at the recent Tour de Suisse have extended their contracts with the Dutch team. Skil-Shimano also announced that it has extended the contracts of Tom Veelers and Albert Timmer.

Kruijswijk, 24, finished ninth in this year's Giro d'Italia and third in the Tour de Suisse.  His new contract with the team has been extended through to include 2014.

He rode for the Rabobank Continental team from 2007 to 2009 before joining the ProTeam in 2010. He finished 18th overall in the Giro last year. Kruijswijk will not ride the Tour de France this year, as “the team management thinks it irresponsible for a young rider  to ride two Grand Tours in quick succession,” according to the team website.

Kruijswijk said that he quickly reached the agreement with the team, and that it was a logical step in his career.  "Why would I leave after 2012? That idea never occurred to me. I wanted to stay at Rabobank. I feel at home here. Another two years will be nice. This team is perfect for me. There is a strong organization and a strong team. Plus we have a very stable and loyal sponsor, therefore there is a high certainty of survival. No, it was not hard to choose. "

Ten Dam, 30, also started his career with the Rabobank Continental team, but then rode for several other teams before joining Rabobank again in 2008.  Last year he was troubled by crashes and injuries, but this year the climber has finished in the top ten at the Tour Down Under, the Amgen Tour of California and Tour de Suisse.  He will be riding the Tour de France in support of team leader Robert Gesink.

Skil-Shimano also extends with two

The Professional Continental ranked Skil-Shimano team has also been building for the future and has extended contracts with Tom Veelers and Albert Timmer through 2013.

Veelers, 26, is a Classics specialist with a good sprint.  “This season, Veelers mainly excelled by leading out the sprinters in the team,” the team said on its website. “Thanks to his lead-outs, Skil-Shimano has been very successful this year.”

"This team has helped me in my development and I feel that I'm still developing myself," Veelers said. "The team has ambitious goals that match perfectly with what I want to achieve. I would like to reward the team's trust. A victory in an important race would be a nice way of doing it."

Timmer, 26, is  “a versatile cyclist who likes to attack and who is comfortable in both the Flemish races and in the more hilly courses,” the team said.

"This team is very professional," Timmer said. "There is a lot of team spirit. That is very important to me and therefore, I feel right at home with this team. I know that I can improve and would like to prove myself."