As part of the collaboration, Team Jumbo-Visma Academy will, if possible, take the youth plan to Limburg secondary schools several times. In addition, the Academy will support Limburg associations in various areas.

Limburg cyclists Tom Dumoulin and Mike Teunissen will ride in the yellow-black Team Jumbo-Visma jersey, while the Limburg sports director and former pro cyclist Frans Maassen is also part of the team. Maassen sees the collaboration as a welcome development. “We currently have a number of standard-bearers in Limburg cycling, but that does not mean that we are able to sit down and rest. There must be continuity in the field of talented cyclists. This collaboration is a good step and certainly helps to make children enthusiastic about cycling. Limburg has very beautiful courses and also a number of cycling tracks, but there’s gotta be riders. In any case, the training locations are there and we must make good use of them. The growth of youth cyclists is stagnating, but you do not necessarily have to start cycling at a young age. I myself started cycling around the age of eighteen and Dumoulin also got on the racing bike around the age of fifteen. That proves that you can still start this sport at that age. Hopefully, in collaboration with Limburg Cycling, we can ensure that in ten years time we will have the new Dumoulin and Teunissen.”

Milan van Wersch, manager of Limburg Cycling, is happy with the collaboration. “We recently had the virtual kick-off of the collaboration with Team Jumbo-Visma and three Limburg cycling associations. It was nice to see that everyone was enthusiastic and willing to put their shoulders to the wheel. We logically attended the school clinics. We must continue to implement it as soon as the situation permits.”