Rabobank returns to professional cycling as a sponsor after a break of almost a decade. How the Team Visma | Lease a Bike announced on Thursday that the Dutch bank will become a partner of the cycling team for at least three and a half years from 1 July 2025. The collaboration includes both the men's and women's teams as well as the junior team. The bank's name will be displayed on the riders' jerseys. Rabobank is also involved in the team's Ready2Race junior programme. The partnership begins just in time for the Tour de France 2025.
Rabobank in cycling: dominance and doping shadows
Rabobank was the title sponsor of one of the most successful men's teams in the professional peloton from 1996 to 2012. However, it was also part of one of the darkest chapters in the history of cycling: the doping scandal surrounding the Dane Michael Rasmussen at the 2007 Tour de France. At the end of 2012, Rabobank ended its involvement in men's cycling due to doping scandals. The women's team, which dominated cycling for a long time with riders such as Marianne Vos and Anna van der Breggen, was supported until 2016. Now the bank is venturing a new start alongside Visma | Lease a Bike. The team includes top stars such as Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and, among the women, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos.
Shared vision for talent development
One focus of the new partnership is the promotion of young cycling talent. Rabobank will become a strategic partner of the Ready2Race programme from Visma | Lease a Bike. This programme is designed to give children a low-threshold introduction to cycling. Richard Plugge, CEO of Visma | Lease a Bike, emphasises the importance of the collaboration: "Through this partnership, we continue to build the future of the sport and inspire the next generation of cycling talent. We are proud of this collaboration and look forward to what we can achieve together."
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Rabobank is also focussing on promoting young talent. Stefaan Decraene, CEO of Rabobank, explains: "As jersey sponsor of both the men's and women's teams as well as the devlopement team, we look forward to supporting the next generation of cycling talent together." The bank sees the partnership as a return to its "old love", cycling.
New chapter for Rabobank
For Visma | Lease a Bike and Rabobank, the new collaboration is also a kind of reunion. When Rabobank withdrew from men's cycling in 2012, the current Visma | Lease a Bike team took over the licence as Blanco Pro Cycling. Richard Plugge sees Rabobank's return as confirmation of the positive development of cycling and his team: "Their decision to rejoin us as a partner is a great compliment. It shows how much cycling has developed in recent years and how our team has become synonymous with professionalism, integrity and success."
The partnership between Visma | Lease a Bike and Rabobank is based on a shared vision for cycling. Both sides emphasise the importance of talent development, grassroots sport and a healthy society. Rabobank has many years of experience in promoting sport. The bank has been supporting Dutch elite sport and talent development in various disciplines for many years.
