Team Rabobank management has decided to start Bram Tankink in this year's Tour de France as a replacement for the injured Laurens ten Dam. A crash in the mountains of the Tour de Suisse meant the Dutch climber would have to stay at home to nurse his broken left wrist, two broken vertebrae, and his broken chin. Tankink and Pieter Weening were the two reserves for the race, and the team wanted to wait until after the Star Elektrotoer and Tour of Switzerland before making a final decision.
Rabobank's technical director Erik Breukink admitted that it was not an easy decision. "The choice was very difficult and we knew that when we put both Weening and Tankink as reserves," he explained. "Bram is just a little more versatile than Peter, slightly more usable in all areas. But they were very close."
The Tour de France kicks off July 3rd in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which is home soil for the Dutch team. The fact that they will be the only team from Holland in this year's race will turn the pressure up for the orange squad.
The Rabobank Tour de France team will feature 2009 Giro d'Italia victor Denis Menchov and Dutchman Robert Gesink for the overall, and they will look to their triple World champion Oscar Freire for the sprints. Lars Boom will also be at the start, and is a dark horse for victory in the race opener. Grischa Niermann, Koos Moerenhout, Maarten Tjallingii, and Juan Manuel Garate complete the Rabobank nine-man roster.