The Rabobank women’s team has announced the signing of United States champion Megan Guarnier for 2013, as the squad adds further strength around World champion Marianne Vos. In addition to Guarnier, 23-year-old climber Lucinda Brand becomes the latest rider from the folding AA Drink-Leontien.nl team to find a new team, while Swiss mountainbiker Jolanda Neff - who recently joined Rabobank’s offroad team - will also ride a limited road programme next season.
Having ridden for Team Tibco-To the Top since 2010, this season saw win the Redlands Classic and a stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix on the way to her national title, but her biggest result to date has been her overall victory in the 2011 Giro della Toscana.
“I still have a lot to learn, and I think Rabobank, with its organisation and Marianne Vos, is the best team to achieve my goal,” said Guarnier. “I want to take a big step next season. My choice for Rabobank is therefore also a very conscious one.
“The team spirit is enormous at Rabobank,” she added. “Of course the team has the best rider in the world [in Vos], but its versatility also makes it strong. It’s an honour to be a part of it.”
Brand has been at AA Drink-Leontien.nl since 2009, but made her big breakthrough this season with fourth place in la Flèche Wallonne. She was also one of the few riders to be able to compete with current teammate Emma Pooley and Vos in the mountains of the last two Giri d’Italia.
“My performances need more continuity,” Brand admitted. “The best way to achieve that goal is to be part of a strong team like Rabobank. Yes, I’ll be riding for Marianne Vos and Annemiek van Vleuten, but there might be chances in smaller races. I am making this transition with a lot of conviction and motivation.”
With Vos, van Vleuten, Guarnier, Brand and - occasionally - Neff, cyclocross riders Sanne van Paassen and Sabrina Stultiëns will both also ride much more of a road schedule in 2013. The three riders to leave the team this year will be German Sarah Düster, who has retired, former Russian champion Tatiana Antoshina, and Australian Lauren Kitchen.