Maarten Tjallingii was born in
Leeuwarden. He lost one of his
kidneys as a child. Tjallingii's biggest win was the 2006
Tour of Belgium. A frequent participant in breakaways in major races, his other most notable performances include a third place at the
2011 Paris–Roubaix and spending four days in the
King of the Mountains jersey in the
2014 Giro d'Italia. Tjallingii raced at the
2016 Giro d'Italia, which started in the Netherlands, and he made an impact on the early stages, winning the award for most aggressive rider on Stage 2 before taking the lead in the
King of the Mountains competition on Stage 3, which finished 250 metres away from his home in
Arnhem. He had previously announced that he would retire from racing in June, having signed a six-month contract extension with for 2016. ==Major results==