Rabobank is throwing itself back into professional cycling sponsorship after being absent for nearly a decade, with Visma-Lease a Bike confirming on Thursday that the Dutch-based bank would join forces with the squad after signing a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Wielerflits flagged that the re-entry into the realm of men’s and women’s professional cycling was in the wings on Wednesday for the financial institution which has a presence across 35 countries and in 2024 reported a net profit of €5,163 billion.
"With the addition of Team Visma-Lease a Bike to our sports partnerships, we are returning to our old love: cycling," Stefaan Decraene, Chairman of the Managing Board of Rabobank, said in a media statement. "As the jersey sponsor of both the men’s and women’s teams, as well as the Development Team, we look forward to supporting the next generation of cycling talent together.”
Rabobank was previously a title sponsor of a top-level men’s professional cycling team for 17 years, from 1996 to 2012. It pulled the pin on its sponsorship of the men’s squad following a report from the United States Anti-Doping Agency. At the time Bert Bruggink, a member of the organisation's Managing Board said “We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport. We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future."
Despite the initial announcement in 2012 also foreshadowing a withdrawal from the women’s team, which it had just started sponsoring that year, Rabobank ended up remaining with the team through to the end of 2016. The squad was one of the strongest forces in women's cycling throughout that period, topping the UCI rankings for three of its five seasons under the Rabobank name.
The teams were home to some key names in the sport, with riders who rode in the Rabobank jersey on the women's squad during that period including Marianne Vos, Anna van der Breggen, Annemiek van Vleuten, Kasia Niewiadoma and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot while the men’s team included Robbie McEwen, Johan Bruyneel, Óscar Freire and also delivered riders like Michael Matthews and Wilco Kelderman their first WorldTour contracts.
Rabobank's sponsorship re-entry which will see its name added to the jerseys of the men's, women's and development team will begin on July 1. The organisation is also joining forces with Visma-Lease a Bike in the Ready2Race program which aims to introduce children to cycling in an accessible way.
"Their decision to rejoin us as a partner is a great compliment," Richard Plugge, CEO of Visma-Lease a Bike said in a statement. "It shows how much cycling has evolved in recent years and how our team has become synonymous with professionalism, integrity, and success."
"Through this partnership, we continue building the future of the sport and inspire the next generation of cycling talents. We are proud of this collaboration and excited about what we can achieve together."
