# 2006 Vrienden van het Platteland season

The 2006 women's road cycling season was the seventh season for the Vrienden van het Platteland (UCI code: VVP) cycling team, which began as Ondernemers van Nature in 2000.
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.

## Roster

Ages as of 1 January 2006.
| | Rider | Date of birth |
| Chantal Beltman (NED) | Chantal Beltman (NED) | (1976-08-25)25 August 1976 (aged 29) |
| Janne Brok (NED) | Janne Brok (NED) | (1987-06-07)7 June 1987 (aged 18) |
| Ellen van Dijk (NED) | Ellen van Dijk (NED) | (1987-02-11)11 February 1987 (aged 18) |
| Sharon van Essen (NED) | Sharon van Essen (NED) | (1981-03-03)3 March 1981 (aged 24) |
| Corrien van Haastert (NED) | Corrien van Haastert (NED) | (1982-02-11)11 February 1982 (aged 23) |
| Esther van der Helm (NED) | Esther van der Helm (NED) | (1981-09-05)5 September 1981 (aged 24) |
| | Rider | Date of birth |
| Yvonne Leezer (NED) | Yvonne Leezer (NED) | (1987-02-09)9 February 1987 (aged 18) |
| Moniek Rotmensen (NED) | Moniek Rotmensen (NED) | (1986-04-25)25 April 1986 (aged 19) |
| Iris Slappendel (NED) | Iris Slappendel (NED) | (1985-02-18)18 February 1985 (aged 20) |
| Monique Verstraten (NED) | Monique Verstraten (NED) | (1983-04-24)24 April 1983 (aged 22) |
| Heidi de Voogd (NED) | Heidi de Voogd (NED) | (1980-01-09)9 January 1980 (aged 25) |
Sources
| Rider | 2005 team |
| Janne Brok (NED) | |
| Ellen van Dijk (NED) | Junior rider |
| Yvonne Leezer (NED) | Junior rider |
| Moniek Rotmensen (NED) | |
| Monique Verstraten (NED) | |
| Heidi de Voogd (NED) | |
* Rider
* Andrea Bosman (NED)
* Minke van Dongen (NED)
* Loes Gunnewijk (NED)
* Aukje de Koning (NED)
* Kristy Miggels (NED)

## Results
### Season victories

Single day and stage races 2006 :
| Date | Nation | Race | Cat. | Winner |
| 11 June | France | Flèche Hesbignonne | 1.2 | Chantal Beltman |
| 22 July | France | Stage 2 Tour Féminin en Limousin | 2.2 | Ellen van Dijk |
National, Continental and World champions 2006 :
| Date | Discipline | Jersey | Winner |
| 25 March | World University Champion – Road race | | Ellen van Dijk |

## Results in major races

Results at the 2006 UCI Women's Road World Cup races :
| # | Date | Race | Country | Best rider | Place |
| 1 | 26 February | Geelong World Cup | Australia | - | - |
| 2 | 5 March | New Zealand World Cup | New Zealand | - | - |
| 3 | 2 April | Tour of Flanders for Women | Belgium | Chantal Beltman | 27th |
| 4 | 19 April | La Flèche Wallonne Féminine | Belgium | - | - |
| 5 | 23 April | Tour de Berne | Switzerland | - | - |
| 6 | 7 May | GP Castilla y Leon | Spain | - | - |
| 7 | 27 May | Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal | Canada | - | - |
| 8 | 28 July | Open de Suède Vårgårda | Sweden | - | - |
| 9 | 30 July | Ladies Golden Hour | Denmark | - | - |
| 10 | 26 August | GP de Plouay | France | - | - |
| 11 | 3 September | Lowland International Rotterdam Tour | Netherlands | Ellen van Dijk | 6th |
| 12 | 10 September | Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt | Germany | - | - |
Results in other major single day races :
| Date | Race | Rider | Place |
| 23 March | World University Championships – Women's time trial | Ellen van Dijk | |
| 25 March | World University Championships – Women's road race | Ellen van Dijk | |
| 15 July | European Road Championships – Women's under-23 road race | Ellen van Dijk | 10th |
* ↑ Riders are in these championships part of the national team

## UCI World Ranking

The team finished 12th in the UCI ranking for teams.
Individual UCI World Ranking :
| Rank | Rider | Points |
| 30 | Chantal Beltman | 223 |
| 74 | Ellen van Dijk | 58 |
| 86 | Iris Slappendel | 47 |
| 123 | Sharon van Essen | 30 |
| 376 | Moniek Rotmensen | 2 |