Rabobank returns to professional cycling after almost a decade away

Rabobank is set to return to the world of professional cycling, almost a decade after it last sponsored a team.

The Dutch bank will become a jersey sponsor of Visma-Lease a Bike from July, returning to the successor of the squad it was title sponsor of from 1996 to 2012. It also sponsored the women's Rabobank-Liv team from 2012 to 2016.

"With the addition of Visma-Lease a Bike to our sports partnerships, we are returning to our old love: cycling," Stefaan Decraene, chairman of the managing board of Rabobank, said in a statement. "As the jersey sponsor of both the men’s and women’s teams, as well as the development team, we look forward to supporting the next generation of cycling talent together."

Rabobank left the men's sport after the American doping authority - USADA - presented its damning report into doping in professional cycling in 2012; the report was the one which saw Lance Armstrong stripped of his seven titles.

At that point, Bert Bruggink, a member of Rabobank's board, said: "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."

They continued sponsoring a women's team until 2016, with star riders including Marianne Vos, Anna van der Breggen, Annemiek van Vleuten, and Kasia Niewiadoma. Star riders on the men's Rabobank over the years included Robbie McEwen, Óscar Freire and Michael Rasmussen.

"Their decision to rejoin us as a partner is a great compliment," Richard Plugge, the CEO of Visma-Lease a Bike, said. "It shows how much cycling has evolved in recent years and how our team has become synonymous with professionalism, integrity, and success."

"Through this partnership, we continue building the future of the sport and inspire the next generation of cycling talents. We are proud of this collaboration and excited about what we can achieve together."

Among those paying tribute to Rabobank's re-entry to cycling was Demi Vollering, who said she got into cycling through the company's bike races for children. A programme for introducing children to cycling - Ready2Race - is part of the Visma-Lease a Bike deal.

"For me, it all started with a dream, and I hope this initiative helps more kids, especially young girls, to dream big and fall in love with cycling," Vollering wrote on LinkedIn.