The experience and skills of 'captain' Sinkeldam will be missed by many sprinters

Marcel Kittel, Arnaud Démare, and Jasper Philipsen: three top sprinters, together good for a whopping 237 victories, 41 of them in the grand tours. They are among the fastest men of their generation, but they did not achieve their successes on their own. Every cycling fan knows how important a good sprint train is in getting wins, and these three sprinters had a common factor in their team named Ramon Sinkeldam. IDLProCycling.com takes you through the career of the former Dutch champion, who can rightfully be considered one of the best lead-outs of recent years.

Sinkeldam's career began, as it did for so many young talents in his generation, with Rabobank's development team. At the continental team, he showed plenty of potential. He particularly excelled in one-day events. He became the Dutch U23 champion and also won Paris-Roubaix: in 2011, he arrived at the Vélodrome first, ahead of Jasper Stuyven. But he never got a chance with the big men at Rabobank, so he opted for a new adventure.

That came in the form of Argos-Shimano. The pro-continental team, which later in 2012 was renamed Team 1T4i (which stood for Team Spirit, Inspiration, Integrity, Improvement, and Innovation), offered Sinkeldam the chance to get a taste of the big time. In his first year as a pro, he started in almost every major cobbled classic. That led to a DNF or even an OTL nearly every time, but later in the year, he proved they were no fluke with two stage wins in the Tour of Hainan.

It was a happy marriage, as the Dutch rider remained loyal to the team for a long time. Together, they were promoted to the WorldTour. Sinkeldam proved to have fast legs, especially in the smaller and one-day races. But the team's growth also meant reducing its own chances. The Dutch formation became a real sprinters' team, with stars like Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb as leaders. Sinkeldam was mainly referred to duty as a lead-out man, something he could do well.

Read more below the photo!

At Argos-Shimano, Sinkeldam began his career, where he helped Marcel Kittel to numerous victories.

Dutch championship a red-white-and-blue icing on the cake

Own chances were scarce but not gone. 2015, he won Binche-Chimay-Binche, but his most significant victory came two years later. For Team Sunweb, he was surprisingly the strongest at the Dutch championship. He took advantage of a challenging course and excessive sprinting by top favorite and defending champion Dylan Groenewegen. So Sinkeldam got to wear the tricolor for a year: a nice reward for all his hard work for his leaders.

Despite this fine victory, it was time for a change in his career. After six years in Dutch (pro) service, Sinkeldam left for Groupama-FDJ. There, the tall Dutch rider's role remained pretty much the same: a place in the sprint train and a chance to compete on his own here and there. The pressure was high with Arnaud Démare as the leader, but the two got along just fine.

At the time, the French sprinter won as many as eight stages in the Giro d'Italia, and Sinkeldam was there for seven of the wins. He was an essential part of Démare's sprint train. With his experience, speed, and insight, he put his leader in a perfect position many times. Although his own chances had dwindled, Sinkeldam's market value was higher than ever: few riders were better in his position. This naturally aroused interest from other teams.

Read more below the photo!

Arnaud Démare relied on the skills of Sinkeldam at Groupama-FDJ.

At Alpecin-Deceuninck, the experienced Sinkeldam was indispensable

And if Alpecin-Deceuninck knocked on the door, who would say no? The Dutch team saw in Sinkeldam the perfect man for the sprint train of Jasper Philipsen, Kaden Groves, and Mathieu van der Poel. So he helped the Australians win the Giro in 2023, while he helped Philipsen grab four at the Tour de France with him at his side. Incidentally, the Belgian got all those wins before Sinkeldam got off in stage fourteen. Coincidence? Maybe. But the fact was that Sinkeldam was the perfect captain of the sprint train.

This year, he did not compete in any more grand tours. At 35, he realized it was okay. He would wrap it up before finishing third at the national championships. It proved that a leopard didn't change its spots: he was very close to a second national title. But we are not necessarily going to remember Sinkeldam for his victories. The Dutch rider almost always had a good starting position for the sprint because Sinkeldam was one of the best lead-outs.

Read also

Outstpoken Bouwman highlights big differences between Visma and Jayco-AlUla, and new team immediately surprises him with a roommate.

Bilbao follows in the footsteps of his friend Mäder, but sees selfishness among colleagues: "It should be the complete opposite"

Madiot in favor of reducing speed: "Is a race with an average of 48 km/h really less exciting than one with 55 km/h?"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe