7
Pierre Boels
Main Sponsor
EVERY YEAR I ASK MYSELF THE SAME QUESTION WITH
REGARD TO OUR COMPANY AND OUR TEAM: HOW CAN WE
SURPASS LAST YEAR’S RESULTS? I HAVE BEEN SURPRISED
BY THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS FLEXIBILITY, AMBITION
AND DRIVE IN OUR TEAM AGAIN THIS YEAR. ALL THOSE
FANTASTIC VICTORIES ARE THE ULTIMATE PROOF OF THIS
TEAM'S QUALITY. WE CONTINUE TO PROGRESS, GROW AS
A TEAM AND INNOVATE IN ORDER TO STAY AHEAD OF OUR
COMPETITORS ON THE WORLD CYCLING STAGE. CYCLING
IS VERY SIMILAR TO BUSINESS.
I have learned an important lesson from Danny and Erwin since
our company decided to enter the world of cycling. As somebody
with no experience in this sport, I always thought that the fastest
rider won all the races. The opposite is true. Victory is a product of
strength, cohesion and balance within the team. This balance, the
good atmosphere, the willingness to work hard for each other and
selflessly ride for a teammate is at the heart of our success, and I am
very proud of this achievement. I am also proud of how, under Danny
and Erwin's leadership, the support staff and all our volunteers have
made a much appreciated contribution to this success.
Regrettably, I was not able to attend as many of the team’s races
as I would have liked last season. I intend to attend more races
in 2019. Last season, I was really curious whether the team could
deliver another world championship. That they succeeded was one
of the highlights of the year for me. I have done a little research and
it seems that - in women’s and men’s cycling alike - having a world
champion in the team for four years running is both an unprecedented
luxury and a historic event. Even though we are talking
here about Anna van der Breggen's fantastic individual performance
in the Dutch team, I also see this as a great compliment for the entire
Boels-Dolmans squad. The support staff delivered superhumanly fit
athletes for the world championships, both mentally and physically.
Nobody can dispute that this was an achievement of our team, and
that makes me feel incredibly proud.
I am already looking forward to the next season. Particularly the
Classics in the spring. Besides having a passionate interest in the
sport, our company decided to sponsor a cycling team for business
and economic reasons. During the past few months, I have lobbied
for a more pronounced Dutch and Belgian character in the team.
I know how passionately people in Belgium and Flanders follow
professional cycling. So I am delighted that Jolien D’hoore has
joined the team and hope that she will achieve good race results
throughout the year, but particularly in her home country.
As the main sponsor, you are entitled to invest the largest amount in
a team. However, the total budget is obviously much higher than this
contribution. I am very grateful to our many supporters, who include
suppliers to Boels Rental and Dolmans Landscaping, for the commitments
they have made to our team. Without their contributions and
the contributions made by brands such as Specialized and Santini,
we would simply not be able to deliver this outstanding performance.
Let me end by quoting my father. “Ich win dat”, which means ‘I'm
going to win, you'll see’. The will to win is immovably anchored in my
and Erwin's companies. Every day is a race, and we always want to
be the best in everything we do. So I am proud that our team is cast
in the same mould and wants to focus all its winner's DNA on the
next victory.