Laurens ten Dam (born 13 November 1980) is a Dutch cyclist, who competes in gravel cycling. He formerly competed professionally in road cycling between 2003 and 2019 for the Rabobank GS3, BankGiroLoterij, Unibet.com, LottoNL–Jumbo, Team Sunweb and CCC Team squads.[3] During his road racing career, Ten Dam took two victories – stage wins at the 2006 Course de Solidarność et des Champions Olympiques and the 2008 Critérium International.

Laurens ten Dam
Ten Dam at the 2011 Tour de France
Personal information
Full nameLaurens ten Dam
NicknameLTD
Born (1980-11-13) 13 November 1980 (age 44)
Bedum, Netherlands
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight67 kg (148 lb; 10 st 8 lb)[1]
Team information
Disciplines
  • Road (former)
  • Gravel
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Amateur team
2000–2002Rabobank Beloften
Professional teams
2003Rabobank GS3
2004BankGiroLoterij
2005Shimano–Memory Corp
2006–2007Unibet.com
2008–2015Rabobank
2016–2018Team Giant–Alpecin
2019CCC Team[2]

Career

edit

A native of the village of Zuidwolde in Groningen, Ten Dam started racing in 2000 with Rabobank Beloften. He remained with the team until 2003, before spending one season at both BankGiroLoterij in 2004 and Shimano–Memory Corp in 2005. He then spent two years with Unibet.com in 2006 and 2007, where he recorded a stage victory at the 2006 Course de Solidarność et des Champions Olympiques, and a top-ten overall finish at the 2007 Volta a Catalunya (ninth).[4]

Rabobank (2008–2015)

edit

Ten Dam joined Rabobank for the 2008 season,[5] and won a stage at the Critérium International.[6] The following year, he won the mountains classification at the 2009 Tour de Romandie. After no victories in 2010, Ten Dam recorded top-ten finishes at the 2011 editions of the Tour Down Under (fifth), the Tour of California (sixth),[7] and the Tour de Suisse (eighth).[8] In 2012, Ten Dam finished 8th in the Vuelta a España, his best grand tour finish.[9]

In the 2013 Tour de France, Ten Dam had an excellent first two weeks of the Tour, sitting 5th overall after the end of the second week with his teammate, Bauke Mollema 2nd overall. However, in the last week, Ten Dam struggled to stay with the general classification contenders making him slip out of the top ten, finishing 13th overall.[10]

At the 2014 Tour de France, Ten Dam was selected to lead Belkin Pro Cycling with Mollema. Through the Vosges on stages 9 and 10 Ten Dam was already almost 8 minutes behind race leader, Vincenzo Nibali giving his leadership to Mollema. Ten Dam's form slowly improved as the race went through the Alps finishing 8th on stages 13 and 14. With his good form moving through the Pyrenees, Ten Dam managed to finish in the top 10 overall, finishing 9th.[11]

Team Giant–Alpecin (2016–2018)

edit

In October 2015 it was announced that Ten Dam would join Team Giant–Alpecin on an initial one-year contract for 2016, after spending eight years with Rabobank and its other guises, combining racing in the United States with competing in Europe and a focus on supporting Warren Barguil and Tom Dumoulin through his climbing ability and tactical knowledge.[12] He finished in tenth place overall at the 2016 Tour of California,[13] but this was his only top-ten overall finish in three years with the team.

Retirement from road racing

edit

While riding for CCC Team, Ten Dam announced his retirement from road racing in July 2019, but moved into gravel cycling.[14]

In May 2021, Ten Dam won the Gravel Locos race in Hico, Texas.[15]

Personal life

edit

Ten Dam is married with two children.[16] Since his retirement from road racing, Ten Dam is able to spend more time with his family and life has become less regimented.[17] In 2021, Ten Dam started a podcast called the "Beter Worden Podcast" (English: Get Better) in which several aspects of improving on the bike are highlighted and discussed with a human movement scientist.[18][19]

Major results

edit

Source: [20]

1999
3rd Overall Flèche du Sud
2003
1st La Marmotte
2004
9th Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem
2005
3rd Overall Ster Elektrotoer
3rd Omloop der Kempen
4th Overall Tour of Belgium
4th Overall Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
8th Overall Tour de Luxembourg
8th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
9th Hel van het Mergelland
2006
1st   Mountains classification, Ster Elektrotoer
5th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
7th Route Adélie de Vitré
7th Polynormande
9th Overall Course de la Solidarité Olympique
1st Stage 2a (ITT)
2007
5th Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
7th Overall Deutschland Tour
9th Overall Volta a Catalunya
2008
5th Overall Critérium International
1st Stage 1
10th Overall Tour de Suisse
2009
1st   Mountains classification, Tour de Romandie
8th Overall Vuelta a Murcia
2010
10th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
2011
5th Overall Tour Down Under
6th Overall Tour of California
8th Overall Tour de Suisse
10th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
2012
1st Ridderronde Maastricht
8th Overall Vuelta a España
9th Brabantse Pijl
2013
3rd Overall Tour du Haut Var
8th Overall Tour of Norway
2014
8th Overall Tour of California
9th Overall Tour de France
2016
10th Overall Tour of California
2021
1st Gravel Locos 150
2nd Unbound Gravel 200
2022
4th Unbound Gravel 200
2023
4th Unbound Gravel 200

General classification results timeline

edit
Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
  Giro d'Italia 28 34 35 DNF
  Tour de France 21 60 58 28 13 9 92 73 67 51
  Vuelta a España DNF 8 DNF 44
Major stage race general classification results
Race 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
  Paris–Nice 42 DNF 43 122 44
  Tirreno–Adriatico 80
  Volta a Catalunya 9 28 12 77 60 62 DNF 80 16 65 31
  Tour of the Basque Country 62 29 59 39 60 DNF
  Tour de Romandie 30 59 42 39 24 63 37 36
  Critérium du Dauphiné 13 DNF 86
  Tour de Suisse 65 10 DNF 8 23 13 20 72
  Tour de Pologne 18 85

Classics results timeline

edit
Monument 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Milan–San Remo 56
Tour of Flanders 48
Paris–Roubaix Did not contest during his career
Liège–Bastogne–Liège 71 DNF 31 53 63 49 62 DNF
Giro di Lombardia DNF DNF 39 DNF DNF DNF 94
Classic 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Strade Bianche Race did not exist DNF OTL
Amstel Gold Race DNF 101 41 43 50 52 44 51 94
La Flèche Wallonne 55 34 112 33 56 79 30 101 49
Clásica de San Sebastián 62 84 39 56 57 DNF 50
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec Race did not exist DNF DNF
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal 78 96

Major championship results timeline

edit
Event 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
  Olympic Games Road race NH Not held 64 Not held Not held Not held
  World Championships Road race DNF 119 DNF
  National Championships Road race 25 84 35 6 38 32 36 DNF 18 40 DNF 47 DNF 58 73
Legend
Did not compete
DNF Did not finish
NH Not held
OTL Outside time limit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Laurens ten Dam profile". Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  2. ^ Ferri, Marco (24 December 2018). "CCC Team, Riccardo Zoidl prende il posto di Denifl e completa il roster" [CCC Team, Riccardo Zoidl takes the place of Denifl and completes the roster]. SpazioCiclismo – Cyclingpro.net (in Italian). Gravatar. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Ten Dam calling stop on career after Lombardia". VeloNews. Pocket Outdoor Media, LLC. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  4. ^ Alvarez, Hernan (27 May 2007). "Karpets takes Volta as Sanchez wins in Tibidabo". Cyclingnews.com. Knapp Communications. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  5. ^ Sasaki, Miwako (18 October 2007). "Ten Dam signs with Rabobank". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  6. ^ Kröner, Hedwig (29 March 2008). "A flying Dutchman holds strong". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  7. ^ Weislo, Laura (22 May 2011). "Goss finally gets his win in Thousand Oaks". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. ^ Stokes, Shane (19 June 2011). "Leipheimer wins Tour de Suisse with strong time trial effort". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Alberto Contador wins second Vuelta a España title". BBC Sport. 9 September 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  10. ^ Daniel Benson (22 July 2013). "Kittel wins on the Champs-Élysées". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Overall individual time classification". Le Tour. Amaury Sport Organisation. 27 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  12. ^ "Laurens ten Dam signs for Giant-Alpecin". cyclingnews.com. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Tour of California: Cavendish wins Sacramento finale". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Laurens ten Dam to switch focus to adventure riding after 17 years in professional peloton". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  15. ^ "MCT: Gravel Locos 2021". www.mychiptime.com. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  16. ^ Rook, Anne-Marije (25 March 2022). "Laurens ten Dam: I live for the challenges and even at 41, I continue to find them". Cycling Weekly. Future plc. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Laurens ten Dam is living his best life in retirement". CyclingTips. 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  18. ^ "Beter Worden Podcast". Spotify (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  19. ^ "Live Slow Ride Fast Podcast: Ultracycling met Jack Thompson op Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-02-24.
  20. ^ "Laurens Ten Dam". FirstCycling.com. FirstCycling AS. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
edit