Gesink and Tjallingii to lead Rabobank in Amstel Gold Race

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Rabobank is sending its “hero of Roubaix”, Maarten Tjallingii, to the Amstel Gold Race, along with virtually all of the squad which rode the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. While Dutch riders have won the race 17 times, Rabobank has won it only twice, with Michael Boogerd in 1999 and Erik Dekker in 2001.

The Amstel squad will feature Robert Gesink, who finished third overall at Pais Vasco, and Tjallingii, third in Sunday's Paris-Roubaix. Sprinter Oscar Freire will also tackle the hilly course in the southern Netherlands.

Many of the same riders will also take on the Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday, led by three-time world champion Freire. He has won the race three times in a row, from 2005 to 2007. Most recently, in Pais Vasco, he was first over the finish line in the fifth stage, but then relegated for dangerous racing.

Rabobank for Brabantse Pijl: Carlos Barredo, Oscar Freire, Luis Leon Sanchez, Paul Martens, Bram Tankink, Michael Matthews, Grischa Niermann and Coen Vermeltfoort

Rabobank for Amstel Gold Race: Carlos Barredo, Oscar Freire, Robert Gesink, Paul Martens, Grischa Niermann, Luis Leon Sanchez, Bram Tankink and Maarten Tjallingii