Single-day races and Classics Karsten Kroon (born 29 January 1976) is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for Tinkoff, a UCI ProTeam.

[2] Born in Dalen, Kroon showed his talent as an amateur by winning the professional Ronde van Drenthe in 1996.

He joined the Rabobank youth squad in 1997 and won a number of amateur races in two years.

[6] Kroon finally finished on the podium, in La Flèche Wallonne, third in front of Schleck.

He added: "I was a professional cyclist in a very difficult time and I have a lot of respect for my colleagues who resisted the temptation to use doping.