Rabobank to wear a Ride for the Roses jersey in Amstel Gold Race

The Rabobank riders will wear a special 'floral' jersey and “Ride for the Roses” at the Amstel Gold Race on April 17. The specially designed kit will promote the charity event to be held in September in Aalsmeer.

Last year's Ride for the Roses featured more than 10,000 participants and raised more than 800,000 Euros for the fight against cancer. This year's race will be on September 5, and a selection from the pro team will participate. The Dutch Ride for the Roses is similar to the US Ride for the Roses weekend promoted by Lance Armstrong's Livestrong charity. The US event was first held in Texas in 1997 and in the Netherlands in 1998. It has since become an annual event.

The team has already received approval from both the International Cycling Union and the race organisers to wear the special jersey, which features a rose on the front.

At last year's Giro d'Italia,the Dutch team also wore a special jersey. The jersey featured an additional stripe in the Italian colours to honour the start of the race in the Netherlands. It also had the logo of Right to Play, another charity the team has supported for several years.