PostNL joins the dsm-firmenich team as a new sponsor. The team, for which among others John Degenkolb will be called Team dsm-firmenich PostNL in future. The sponsorship of the largest postal and parcel delivery company in the Netherlands, which emerged from the privatisation of the Dutch state postal service in 1989, includes the men's and women's professional teams as well as the dsm-firmenich junior team. PostNL has committed to manager Iwan Spekenbrink's team for at least three years.
PostNL joins dsm-firmenich: Iwan Spekenbrink speaks out
"With PostNL, we are gaining a wonderful brand for our team. Together we are committed to success and building a healthy future, both on and off the bike," says Spekenbrink in his racing team's press release.
The postal company is also delighted with the deal. "Together with the team, we want to create special moments, from sporting success on the bike to cheering from the roadside," says Herna Verhagen, CEO of PostNL. It is not known how much money the team has at its disposal for the coming season. However, the Dutch portal Wielerflits writes of the biggest budget since the team was founded. According to Sportune, dsm-firmenich is currently in the middle of the pack with a rumoured €19 million, as far as the budget is concerned.
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL with new jersey
The Dutch team also unveiled its new jersey for the 2024 season, featuring contrasting blue, white and orange colours. The stripes in the centre, which stand for the motto "Keep Challenging", the "DNA of the team", remain characteristic. In honour of the new partner PostNL, the stripes on the 2024 jersey are coloured orange. The riders' complete outfits will be officially unveiled on Monday 8 January 2024.
The team will also be travelling in 2024 Scott racing bikes and Shimano componentswhich are also to be given a new look.
Dutch team once travelling under the German flag
The Dutch team was founded in 2005 through the merger of the Japanese Shimano team and the Dutch team Bankgiroloterij and was initially called Shimano-Memory Corp. The names later changed to Skill-Shimano, Project 1t4i, Argos-Shimano, Giant-Shimano, Giant-Alpecin, Team Sunweb and finally DSM. The team was formally a German team between 2015 and 2022. In the meantime, however, the team is once again riding under the Dutch flag. dsm-firmenich has a men's team, a women's team and a development team. The women's team, which competes in the Women's World Tour, includes French rider Juliette Labous, British rider Pfeiffer Georgi and German rider Franziska Koch.
With Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal - Quick Step) and Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic), the men's team has two Notable new additions for the coming year. However, riders such as Marius Mayrhofer, Alberto Dainese (both Tudor Pro Cycling Team) or Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Pro Cycling) and Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe) will leave the Dutch team. According to several media reports, top German talent Marco Brenner will also no longer ride for dsm-firmenich in 2024 and will join Tudor Pro Cycling.
