Vrienden van het Platteland

Vrienden van het Platteland (UCI Code: VVP) was a Dutch UCI women's road cycling team that existed in the 2000–2008 road cycling seasons.

2006
One of the main new recruits for the team was former junior rider Ellen van Dijk. In March Ellen van Dijk became University World Champion at the 2006 World University Cycling Championship in the women's road race. and finished second in the women's time trial. The other main victories for the team were Flèche Hesbignonne by Chantal Beltman and stage 2 of the Tour Féminin en Limousin by Ellen van Dijk. At the national championships Sharon van Essen finished second in the road race and Iris Slappendel won the bronze medal in the women's time trial. At the end of the year the team ended 12th in the UCI Team's Ranking with Chantal Beltman as the best individual at the 30th place in the UCI Individual Women's Road Ranking. Van Dijk was also active on the track and won the bronze medal at the 2006 Dutch National Track Championships in the women's individual pursuit.

2007
The main victories on the road for the team were the time trial at the Tour of Chongming Island by Ellen van Dijk and the Norwegian and Dutch Time Trial Championships by Anita Valen and Ellen van Dijk. On the track Van Dijk also won the individual pursuit at the Dutch National Track Cycling Championships. At the end of the year the team ended 23rd in the UCI Team's Ranking with Ellen van Dijk as the best individual at the 37th place in the UCI Individual Women's Road Ranking.

The first podium place for the team was a third place for Jaccolien Wallaard at Omloop Het Volk in March. In May Ellen van Dijk finished third at Omloop van Borsele and in the time trial stage at the Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin. Van Dijk finished third again in an international time trial at the Tour of Chongming Island Time trial in June. The day afterwards Van Dijk won the first stage of the Tour of Chongming Island with Wallaard in third place. After finishing second in the stage 2 and stage 3 Van Dijk ended also second in the general classification. In July Ellen van Dijk represented the Netherlands at the European Championships (under-23) and finished fifth in the time trial. At the national championships Anita Valen won the time trial in Norway and finished second in the road race. In the Netherlands Ellen van Dijk won the Dutch time trial championships. Due to Van Dijks' good results in the time trials she was chosen to represent the Netherlands in the time trial at the World Championships in Stuttgart where she finished 17th. Due to her good results Ellen van Dijk became sportswomen of the year of Woerden. Van Dijk was invited to join the Dutch national track cycling team. At the national track championships she became Dutch champion in the individual pursuit, ahead of Marianne Vos and Kirsten Wild, and finished fourth in the scratch race and points race.

2008
Ellen van Dijk became European Champion in the time trial and won the stage 2 of the 2008 Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin and the prologue of 2008 Tour Féminin en Limousin. An Van Rie won the Belgian Time Trial Championships. However, the largest victories were on the track. Ellen van Dijk became World Champion in the scratch and European champion in the Women's points race and Women's scratch. At the European championships she also won two silver medals. Willy Kanis won 4 times an individual event at the Track Cycling World Cups in 2008 and together with Yvonne Hijgenaar two times the team sprint event. The team finished 19th in the 2008 UCI Team Ranking.

Roster
During the years the team had mainly Dutch riders, including:

Ellen van Dijk (2006–2008)

Sharon van Essen (2004–2006)

Loes Gunnewijk (2004–2005)

Chantal Beltman (2004–2006)

Yvonne Hijgenaar (2008)

Willy Kanis (2008)

Roxane Knetemann (2008)

Vera Koedooder (2004)

Iris Slappendel (2004–2006)

Annemiek van Vleuten (2008)

During the last two year the team had also riders from other countries, including:

🇦🇺 Katie Brown (2007)

🇳🇴 Anita Valen (2007)

🇧🇪 Liesbet De Vocht (2008)

🇺🇸 Tina Pic (2008)

🇧🇪 An Van Rie (2008)

2008 squad
Ages as of 1 January 2008.

Sources

The team had Felicia Gomez and Linn Torp as guest riders during the Tour of New Zealand and Gomez also during the Geelong Tour.
 * Guest riders

Victories

 * 2000
 * 1st Zeddam Cyclo-cross, Danielle Jansen
 * 1st Luyksgestel Criterium, Sonja Van Kuik-Pfister
 * 1st Kortenhoef Derny, Edith Klep-Moerenhout
 * 1st Dordrecht Criterium, Francis Linthorst
 * 1st Nijmegen Criterium, Janneke Vos


 * 2001
 * 1st Luyksgestel Criterium, Tanja Schmidt-Hennes
 * 1st Zoetermeer Criterium, Areke Hassink


 * 2002
 * 1st Haarsteeg Criterium, Martine Bras
 * 1st Omloop van Borsele, Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Commonwealth Games Track Championships (Points race), Kate Bates
 * 1st Memorial Marc Van Beek, Kate Bates
 * 1st Haasdonk Criterium, Kate Bates


 * 2004
 * 1st Omloop van Borsele, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Overall RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Stage 3a, Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Zoeterwoude Criterium, Iris Slappendel
 * 1st Steenwijk Criterium, Andrea Bosman
 * 1st Gouden Pijl, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Wielerronde van Nispen, Andrea Bosman
 * 1st Overall Boekel, Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Stage 3, Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Berkelse Wielerdag, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Vorden, Cyclo-cross (F): Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Stage 1 Tour de Feminin, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Stage 5 Tour de l'Aude, Chantal Beltman


 * 2005
 * 1st Veldhoven, Kristy Miggels
 * 1st Rijssen, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Stage 2 RaboSter Zeeuwsche Eilanden, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Kieldrecht, Andrea Bosman
 * 1st Boxtel Cyclo-cross, Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Herford Cyclo-cross, Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Stage 4 Tour de l'Aude, Loes Gunnewijk
 * 1st Stage 3 Novilon Internationale Damesronde van Drenthe, Kristy Miggels


 * 2006
 * 1st World University Road Race Championship, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Fleurus, Moniek Rotmensen
 * 1st Amerika, Iris Slappendel
 * 1st Cras-Avernas, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Oosterbeek, Chantal Beltman
 * 1st Stage 2 Tour Féminin en Limousin, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Profronde van Stiphout, Moniek Rotmensen
 * 1st Bochum, Iris Slappendel
 * 1st Stage 2 Boekel, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Stage 1 TTT Giro della Toscana Int. Femminile, Iris Slappendel, Chantal Beltman & Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st National University Road Race Championship, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Flèche Hesbignonne, Chantal Beltman


 * 2007
 * 1st Breezand, Monique van de Ree
 * 1st Bleiswijk, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Oudenbosch, Monique van de Ree
 * 1st Stage 1 Tour of Chongming Island, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st 🇳🇴 National Time Trial Championships, Anita Valen
 * 1st Alblasserdam, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Profronde van Stiphout, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Maarheeze, Jaccolien Wallaard
 * 1st National Time Trial Championships, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Stage 2 Boekel, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st National Track Championships (Individual pursuit), Ellen van Dijk


 * 2008
 * 1st Los Angeles (UCI Track World Cup) Team Sprint, Yvonne Hijgenaar & Willy Kanis
 * 1st København (UCI Track World Cup) Sprint, Willy Kanis
 * 1st København (UCI Track World Cup) Keirin, Willy Kanis
 * 1st World Track Championships (Scratch race), Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Beaufort, Tina Pic
 * 1st Anniston, Tina Pic
 * 1st Stages 2 & 6 Mount Hood Classic, Tina Pic
 * 1st Districtskampioenschap Midden-Nederland, Road, ITT, Elite, The Netherlands (F): Annemiek van Vleuten
 * 1st Stage 2 TTT Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin, Ellen van Dijk & Martine Bras
 * 1st Somerville, Tina Pic
 * 1st Stage 2 Nature Valley Grand Prix, Tina Pic
 * 1st Tielt-Winge, Liesbet De Vocht
 * 1st European Championship, Road, ITT, U23 Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Stage 4 Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, Tina Pic
 * 1st Geel, Martine Bras
 * 1st Stage 1 Tour Féminin en Limousin, Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st National Time Trial Championship, An Van Rie
 * 1st De Klinge, Liesbet De Vocht
 * 1st Binghamton, Tina Pic
 * 1st European U23 Track Championship (Points race), Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st Priority Health Grand Cycling Challenge, Tina Pic
 * 1st Ann Arbor, Tina Pic
 * 1st European U23 Track Championships (Scatch race), Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st European Track Championships (Omnium) Yvonne Hijgenaar
 * 1st Melbourne (UCI Track World Cup) Team Sprint, Yvonne Hijgenaar & Willy Kanis
 * 1st Melbourne (UCI Track World Cup) 500 m, Willy Kanis
 * 1st Melbourne (UCI Track World Cup) Keirin, Willy Kanis
 * 1st National Track Championships (500 m), Willy Kanis
 * 1st National Track Championships (Sprint), Willy Kanis
 * 1st National Track Championships (Pursuit), Ellen van Dijk
 * 1st National Track Championships (Keirin), Willy Kanis