October 19, 2012 – Cycling was dealt another major blow in the fallout from the Armstrong doping affair as Rabobank today announced its withdrawal from the sport after almost 30 years of involvement. The bank has been the biggest sponsor in Dutch professional cycling, spending 15m Euros (£12.2m) a year, and its distinctive orange kit is well-known in the sport.

According the release (see below)…”We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport. We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future.” But Rabobank will continue “…  its ties with amateur cycling as a sponsor, including the youth training and the cyclocross team.”

The decision comes only one day after disciplinary proceeding for doping were commenced by the UCI against Rabobank team member, Carlos Barredo. Other big names on the Rabobank roster include Dutch stars Robert Gesink, Lars Boom and Spain’s Luis León Sánchez, along with 2012 Olympic and World road race champion, Marianne Vos, a national hero in the Netherlands.

Rabobank to End its Sponsorship of Professional Cycling Teams
Rabobank will end its sponsorship of both the men’s and the women’s professional cycling teams per 31 December 2012. Rabobank will continue its ties with amateur cycling as a sponsor, including the youth training and the cyclocross team.

Rabobank has come to this decision following publication of the report from the American doping authority USADA last week. This report speaks volumes. Bert Bruggink, member of the Managing Board: “It is with pain in our heart, but for the bank this is an inevitable decision. We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport. We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future.”

Rabobank started its involvement in cycling 17 years ago. Full of conviction and with a clear mission. Because cycling fits with Rabobank, with its clients and employees. Rabobank has expanded the cycling sponsorship during the course of the years to a complete package, from the men’s and women’s professional teams to the youth team and the cyclo cross.

Bert Bruggink: “Cycling is a beautiful sport, which millions of Dutch people enjoy and a large number of those Dutch people are clients of Rabobank. But our decision stands: we are pulling out of professional cycling. It is painful. Not just for Rabobank, but especially for the enthusiasts and the cyclists who are not to blame in this.”