Team DSM’s Keep Challenging Center Officially Opens

Today, Team DSM officially unveiled their Keep Challenging Center in Sittard, Limburg, a project and a dream that has been many years in the making. The Center combines a living environment with a high-end support network to optimise both athlete development and cooperation. With the majority of the riders living at the campus currently in their early twenties, Team DSM today shared their ambition of aiming to “bring the first riders currently in the Keep Challenging Center to the Tour de France by 2025”.

It was no coincidence the team selected the Province of Limburg to partner with and locate their Keep Challening Center in the area as it provides excellent facilities, including; fantastic training routes through the Dreilandenpunkt region, the secured Tom Dumoulin Bike Park, a knowledge hub, universities, medical facilities and airports, all of which are a stone’s throw away from the campus. Alongside expanding regional facilities, bringing the riders together allows the team to centralise their support structure through dedicated coaches, trainers and experts working with the riders in Sittard. Race evaluations, coaching, equipment testing, research, core stability training, expert workshops and group training sessions are all examples of activities that will take place at the Keep Challenging Center. Next to athletic development there is attention on personal development with riders being encouraged to continue their studies and education, ensuring they are also prepared for life after cycling.

“This is truly a one-of-a-kind environment and we are so proud to finally see our vision come to fruition here in Limburg: it’s a dream come true,” said Iwan Spekenbrink. “Being inspired by some successful team sports such as football, baseball and basketball, we firmly believe this club model with centralised facilities and day-to-day real-life cooperation is the way forward for cycling to make the next step. As a team we believe the development and support of athletes can be optimised and modernised and that’s why we have realised the Keep Challenging Center.”

Spekenbrink continued: “In this environment we want to develop our athletes. The Keep Challenging Center allows us to train together, focus more on personal coaching, improve team work, test new products and processes, and teach our young talents about life outside of cycling too. The riders will be prepared for a life as a professional cyclist, but we also allow and encourage them to combine their career with their studies. The fact that a good selection of riders from all three programs, including our new signings, have chosen to live here already gives us confidence that this is the right pathway to begin the gradual evolution of our sport.”