Rabobank replaces Brown in Eneco roster

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Rabobank has announced it will replace Graeme Brown in its roster for the Eneco Tour as the Australian sprinter isn’t in good shape. Brown’s place in the eight-man squad will be filled by Dutch rider Thomas Leezer.

The 24-year-old demonstrated his form at the weekend’s Vattenfall Cyclassics, where he finished seventh in the final sprint won by Garmin-Transitions’ Tyler Farrar. The result in Germany was Leezer’s best of the season to date and he’ll be looking to capitalize on that form at this week’s Dutch/Belgian ProTour event.

“Leezer is currently in good shape and not Brown,” read an announcement from the squad. “The team management wants to give the young athlete a chance to display his good form, this time in a major stage race.”

While Brown’s best finish at the recent Tour de Pologne was ninth on the event’s third stage, it hasn’t been all bad news for the rider in recent months. The 31-year-old claimed his first European victory of the season at last month’s Österreich-Rundfahrt, where he out-paced Robert Förster and André Greipel to win the eighth stage in Wien, Austria.