January 15, 2003 – On January 15 in Hilversum, top Dutch cycling team Rabobank presentated its 2004 team. Once again, Colnago will be the bicycle sponsor for the Dutch squad and the 25-man team will ride the new Colnago C-50 with a new Rabobank paint scheme for 2004.

Rabobank has added three young riders, all of whom were deservingly promoted from Rabobank's excellent Division Three team: Hans Dekkers, Joost Posthuma and Pieter Weening. “Dekkers and Weening are two big talents who've had fantastic seasons in our TT3 development team,” explained new Rabobank team manager Theo de Rooij to Dutch news agency ANP at the team event.

“With their transition to the Division One team, we're giving them the opportunity to grow. Dekkers is a rider with a great sprint and Weening is a good climber. Posthuma will do a hard spring season with the Division Three team before making the jump to Division One.”

As Theo de Rooij steps up to be Rabobank team manager after the departure of Jan Raas, Erik Breukink, former top Dutch pro, Rabobank PR man and TV commentator will replace de Rooij as team director.

Rabobank's key men Michael Boogerd and Oscar Freire will lead the team in the classics while Michael Rasmussen and Levi Leipheimer will aim for the major tours. Unlucky Leipheimer only rode one stage of the Tour de France after a crash, while Rasmussen missed the Tour due to a training crash, but came back to ride a good Vuelta a EspaÃ’a and win a climbingstage there.

“I gambled and I lost last year,” said Leipheimer at Rabobank's presentation. “I want to do well in the multi-day stage races like the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour of Catalonia. If I meet one of these goals, then I will be satisfied.”

Michael Rasmussen is looking forward to finally racing his first Tour De France. “The Tour is always difficult. I'm going to take it as it comes.” Rasmussen's main aim is to win a stage in the Tour for Rabobank, preferring that goal over final general classification.