Barry Markus and Bert-Jan Lindeman have been stagiaires with the Vacansoleil-DCM team since August 1st, and their good showings hoave now paid off. Both riders have agreed on a two year contract with team manager Daan Luijkx.
This was better news than the Tour of Britain hazards for Markus. He broke his collarbone in a stage three crash, but Luijkx has given him the nod for 2012 and 2013. Markus moves over from the Rabobank Continental team, with which he raced for two years.
The Dutchman has four season wins under his belt, starting with a victory in his first race of 2011 (Ster van Zwolle). He continued with a win in the Dorpenomloop Rucphen, then took two stages in the Vuelta a Leon. He won stage one in a sprint and took over the leader's jersey, then also won the team time trial with his Rabobank colleagues.
Lindeman, from the Cycling Team Jo Piels, also had a good start to the season. He narrowly missed the podium in the Ster van Zwolle, finishing fourth. He took fifth place in one of the hardest stages in the Tour of Denmark. He was also fourth in the U23 Liège - Bastogne - Liège. The 22-year-old's good results landed him an invitation for the Dutch World Championships selection for the U23 squad.
Team Manager Michel Cornelisse saw both riders at work this season. "For me the most important in a young racer is his will. The very moment we give someone a stagiaire contract we already know what he can do. That was the same with Keizer, Ruijgh, van Leijen and Ligthart. When you are then on the road with them you can see the fire in someone. Markus and Lindeman show how great they are. For example Markus on Sunday, when he sprinted near the top in the Tour of Britain and Lindeman every race where he sprints again for the places. They show how much they want it. And there is also room for improvement in both."
Jean-Paul van Poppel confirmed this. "The guys who become professionals with us grow slowly in the first year," he said. "From the outside I always admired this with Vacansoleil-DCM, and this year I could analyze it as a directeur sportif. My conclusion is that among other things they get the trust to once in a while get the chance to ride for themselves."