Pim Ligthart signs two year agreement with Vacansoleil-DCM

by Ben Atkins at 6:14 PM EST

Young Dutch rider takes the step up after finishing 2010 as a stagiere

Pim Ligthart has signed a two year contract with Vacansoleil-DCM to keep him with the Dutch team through 2012. The 22-year-old Dutchman began riding with the team as a stagiere on August 1st this year, having previously raced in France for AVC Aix-en-Provence.

“Pim is an all round rider,” said Vacansoleil manager Daan Luijkx, “his choice to race for a French team shows he is willing to invest in a career. After riders like [Johnny] Hoogerland, [Wout] Poels, [Lieuwe] Westra, [Joost] van Leijen and [Rob] Ruygh, Pim is another young and strong Dutch rider who will be capable to keep up with the pros in year one of his contract.”

Ligthart was active on the track and road until 2008, bu in 2009 he decided to concentrate solely on the road. Before joining Vacansoleil in August he picked up podium finishes in La Côte Picardie and the ZLM Tour, both part of the Under-23 World Cup.

In his first few months with Vacansoleil, Ligthart rode the Tours of Denmark, Limousin and Britain for the team. Good results included fourth place in Denmark stage 4 and ninth in the tough Glastonbury stage in Britain; both times he won the bunch sprint behind the breakaway group.

He was a prominent member of the Dutch team for the under-23 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia last month. Unfortunately though, he was involved in a crash on the first lap and failed to finish.

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