Laurens ten Dam facts for kids
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Ten Dam at the 2011 Tour de France
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Laurens ten Dam |
| Nickname | LTD |
| Born | 13 November 1980 Bedum, Netherlands |
| Height | 1.84 m |
| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb; 10 st 8 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Climber |
Laurens ten Dam (born 13 November 1980) is a Dutch cyclist. He is known for competing in gravel cycling, which is a type of bike racing on unpaved roads. Before this, he was a professional road cyclist from 2003 to 2019. During his road cycling career, Laurens won two stages in big races: the 2006 Course de Solidarność et des Champions Olympiques and the 2008 Critérium International.
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Laurens ten Dam's Cycling Journey
Laurens ten Dam grew up in a village called Zuidwolde in Groningen, Netherlands. He started his cycling career in 2000. He rode for several teams in his early years, including BankGiroLoterij and Shimano–Memory Corp. From 2006 to 2007, he was with {{{team name-2007}}}. During this time, he won a stage in the 2006 Course de Solidarité Olympique. He also finished ninth overall in the 2007 Volta a Catalunya, which is a good result in a multi-day race.
Racing with Rabobank
In 2008, Laurens joined the Rabobank team. This was a big step in his career. That year, he won a stage at the Critérium International. The next year, he was the best climber in the 2009 Tour de Romandie, winning the mountains classification.
In 2011, Laurens had several strong finishes. He placed fifth in the 2011 Tour Down Under, sixth in the 2011 Tour of California, and eighth in the 2011 Tour de Suisse. These are all important races.
Grand Tour Achievements
A "Grand Tour" is one of the three biggest and longest road cycling races: the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
In 2012, Laurens achieved his best result in a Grand Tour. He finished 8th overall in the 2012 Vuelta a España. This showed he was one of the top riders in long, tough races.
During the 2013 Tour de France, Laurens started very strong. He was in 5th place overall after the first two weeks. However, he found the last week very challenging and finished 13th overall.
In the 2014 Tour de France, Laurens was chosen to be a team leader. He improved as the race went on, especially in the mountains. He managed to finish in the top 10 overall, placing 9th. This was a fantastic achievement in the world's most famous cycling race.
Later Road Cycling Career
In 2016, Laurens ten Dam joined Team Giant–Alpecin. He spent three years with this team. His main role was to support his teammates, like Warren Barguil and Tom Dumoulin, especially in the mountains. He used his climbing skills and experience to help them. He finished tenth overall in the 2016 Tour of California.
Moving to Gravel Cycling
Laurens ten Dam announced he was retiring from professional road racing in July 2019. However, he didn't stop cycling! He decided to switch to gravel cycling. This type of racing happens on unpaved roads, often through beautiful natural areas.
In May 2021, Laurens won the Gravel Locos race in Hico, Texas. He has continued to compete in major gravel events, showing he is still a strong rider. For example, he finished 2nd in the Unbound Gravel 200 in 2021 and 4th in the same race in both 2022 and 2023.
Life Off the Bike
Laurens ten Dam is married and has two children. Since he stopped road racing, he has more time to spend with his family. His life is less strict now, as professional cycling requires a very disciplined schedule.
In 2021, Laurens started a podcast called "Beter Worden Podcast." This means "Get Better" in English. On his podcast, he talks about different ways to improve cycling with a human movement scientist.
Major Championship Results
Laurens ten Dam also represented his country in major cycling championships.
| Event | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Olympic Games |
Road race | NH | — | Not held | 64 | Not held | — | Not held | — | Not held | ||||||||
 World Championships |
Road race | — | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | 119 | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 National Championships |
Road race | 25 | — | 84 | 35 | 6 | 38 | 32 | — | 36 | DNF | 18 | 40 | DNF | 47 | DNF | 58 | 73 |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| NH | Not held |
| OTL | Outside time limit |
See also
In Spanish: Laurens ten Dam para niños
- List of Dutch Olympic cyclists
 | John T. Biggers |
 | Thomas Blackshear |
 | Mark Bradford |
 | Beverly Buchanan |
