2010 Vacansoleil season

The 2010 season for the Vacansoleil cycling team began in January with the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise. As they did in their inaugural season in 2009, the team competes in 2010 as a UCI Professional Continental team with wildcard status, meaning they are eligible to be invited to any UCI ProTour event. The team's manager is Hilaire Van Der Schueren.

2010 Vacansoleil season
Manager Hilaire Van Der Schueren
One-day victories 5
Stage race overall victories 2
Stage race stage victories 7
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The team's biggest acquisitions for the 2010 season are Feillu brothers, both of them minor stars from a recent Tour de France while riding for Agritubel. Romain, the elder, wore the yellow jersey for a day in 2008, while younger brother Brice won a stage in 2009.

2010 roster

Ages as of January 1, 2010

Rider Date of birth
 Borut Božič (SLO) (1980-08-08)August 8, 1980 (aged 29)
 Matteo Carrara (ITA) (1979-03-25)March 25, 1979 (aged 30)
 Brice Feillu (FRA) (1985-07-26)July 26, 1985 (aged 24)
 Romain Feillu (FRA) (1984-04-06)April 6, 1984 (aged 25)
 Gorik Gardeyn (BEL) (1980-03-17)March 17, 1980 (aged 29)
 Michał Gołaś (POL) (1985-04-29)April 29, 1985 (aged 24)
 Johnny Hoogerland (NED) (1983-05-13)May 13, 1983 (aged 26)
 Sergey Lagutin (UZB) (1981-01-14)January 14, 1981 (aged 28)
 Bjorn Leukemans (BEL) (1977-07-01)July 1, 1977 (aged 32)
 Marco Marcato (ITA) (1984-02-11)February 11, 1984 (aged 25)
 Wouter Mol (NED) (1982-04-17)April 17, 1982 (aged 27)
Rider Date of birth
 Jens Mouris (NED) (1980-03-12)March 12, 1980 (aged 29)
 Martin Mortensen (DEN) (1984-11-05)November 5, 1984 (aged 25)
 Alberto Ongarato (ITA) (1975-07-24)July 24, 1975 (aged 34)
 Wout Poels (NED) (1987-10-01)October 1, 1987 (aged 22)
 Matthé Pronk (NED) (1974-07-01)July 1, 1974 (aged 35)
 Stéphane Rossetto (FRA) (1987-04-06) April 6, 1987
 Rob Ruijgh (NED) (1986-12-12)December 12, 1986 (aged 23)
 Bobbie Traksel (NED) (1981-11-03)November 3, 1981 (aged 28)
 Arnoud van Groen (NED) (1983-12-11)December 11, 1983 (aged 26)
 Joost van Leijen (NED) (1984-07-20)July 20, 1984 (aged 25)
 Frederik Veuchelen (BEL) (1978-09-04)September 4, 1978 (aged 31)
 Lieuwe Westra (NED) (1982-09-11)September 11, 1982 (aged 27)

One-day races

Spring classics

The team opened its season at the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise. The squad for this event was chosen in December; Hoogerland was the leader, trying to improve upon a fifth-place finish in this race in 2009.[1] Westra figured into the morning's breakaway, along with Jussi Veikkanen and Julien El Fares, and nearly managed to stay away, being caught with only a few kilometers left in the race's final climb. A selection was made among the 85-strong peloton that had caught Westra and Veikkanen, with six, including Hoogerland, contesting an uphill sprint finish. Hoogerland finished second behind Saur–Sojasun's Jonathan Hivert.[2] Traksel won Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, on the first weekend of the traditional spring classics season, in brutally bad weather. Of the 198 riders who began the race, just 26 finished, as the rain and the cold combined with the hilly parcours to make for what was called the most difficult day of racing in the last seven years.[3] Traksel outsprinted two breakaway companions, Ian Stannard and Rick Flens, for the win.[4] Vacansoleil had had van Groen in first position on the road when Traksel made his eventually race-winning attack. Van Der Schueren told Traksel to drop back, yet the stocky Dutchman continued to ride away. Though happy to have won, he referred to the attack as "stupid" when asked after the race.[5]

The team also raced Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Clásica de Almería.[1]

Fall races

Stage races

Vacansoleil's first stage race of the season was the Étoile de Bessèges. The first stage ended in a mass sprint, won by Božič after the team overpowered Française des Jeux' leadout train.[6] Božič followed it up with a similar win the next day.[7] In February, Mol won the Tour of Qatar overall by figuring into a crucial stage 2 breakaway.[8][9] He did not win any stage.

The team also sent squads to the Tour of Oman, the Tour Méditerranéen, the Volta ao Algarve, and the Ruta Del Sol.[1]

Grand Tours

The team did not receive invitations to either the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France, despite the fact that both start in the Netherlands. It remains to be seen whether they will be invited to the Vuelta a España.

Season victories
DateRaceCompetitionRiderCountryLocation
February 3Étoile de Bessèges, Stage 1UCI Europe Tour Borut Božič (SLO) FranceLe Grau-du-Roi
February 4Étoile de Bessèges, Stage 2UCI Europe Tour Borut Božič (SLO) FranceSt. Ambroix
February 7Étoile de Bessèges, Points classificationUCI Europe Tour Borut Božič (SLO) France
February 12Tour of Qatar, OverallUCI Asia Tour Wouter Mol (NED) Qatar
February 25Ruta Del Sol, Mountains classificationUCI Europe Tour Brice Feillu (FRA) Spain
February 28Kuurne–Brussels–KuurneUCI Europe Tour Bobbie Traksel (NED) BelgiumKuurne
March 21Ronde van het Groene HartUCI Europe Tour Jens Mouris (NED) NetherlandsZoetermeer
April 1Three Days of De Panne, Teams classificationUCI Europe Tour[N 1] Belgium
April 10Ronde van DrentheUCI Europe Tour Alberto Ongarato (ITA) NetherlandsHoogeveen
June 6Tour de Luxembourg, Overall classificationUCI Europe Tour Matteo Carrara (ITA) Luxembourg
August 7Tour de Pologne, Mountains classificationUCI World Ranking Johnny Hoogerland (NED) Poland
August 7Tour de Pologne, Sprints classificationUCI World Ranking Johnny Hoogerland (NED) Poland
August 7Vuelta a Burgos, Stage 4UCI Europe Tour Romain Feillu (FRA) SpainSalas de los Infantes
August 12Tour de l'Ain, Stage 2UCI Europe Tour Romain Feillu (FRA) FranceTrévoux
August 14Tour de l'Ain, Stage 4UCI Europe Tour Wout Poels (NED) FranceBelley
August 14Tour de l'Ain, Points classificationUCI Europe Tour Romain Feillu (FRA) France
August 25Druivenkoers OverijseUCI Europe Tour Björn Leukemans (BEL) BelgiumOverijse
September 12Grand Prix de FourmiesUCI Europe Tour Romain Feillu (FRA) FranceFourmies
September 14Tour of Britain, Stage 4UCI Europe Tour Wout Poels (NED) Great BritainTeignmouth
September 17Tour of Britain, Stage 7UCI Europe Tour Borut Božič (SLO) Great BritainColchester
September 18Tour of Britain, Sprints classificationUCI Europe Tour Michał Gołaś (POL) Great Britain
September 18Tour of Britain, Mountains classificationUCI Europe Tour Johnny Hoogerland (NED) Great Britain
September 18Tour of Britain, Teams classificationUCI Europe Tour[N 2] Great Britain

Footnotes
  1. The riders on the squad were Lieuwe Westra, Romain Feillu, Matthé Pronk, Jens Mouris, Gorik Gardeyn, Bobbie Traksel, Alberto Ongarato, and Borut Božič
  2. The riders on the squad were Borut Božič, Michał Gołaś, Johnny Hoogerland, Pim Ligthart, Matteo Carrara, and Wout Poels
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References
  1. Cycling News (2009-12-31). "Vacansoleil lays out early season plans". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  2. Cycling News (2010-01-31). "Hivert claims French season opener". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  3. Brecht Decaluwé (2010-03-01). "Peloton reacts to brutal battering at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  4. Brecht Decaluwé (2010-02-28). "Traksel wins Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  5. Brecht Decaluwé (2010-02-28). "Relatively unknown Traksel rides to Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne win". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  6. Cycling News (2010-02-03). "Bozic speeds to stage one win". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  7. Cycling News (2010-02-04). "Bozic blasts to Besseges double". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  8. Stephen Farrand (2010-02-08). "Steurs strongest as breakaway rules the day". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  9. Stephen Farrand (2010-02-12). "Chicchi sprints to another stage win in Qatar". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
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