Team Sky has announced the signing of Dylan van Baarle. The Dutchman will come to the team to reinforce the squad for the classics.
The young Dutchman is a rising star of the Classics races, having finished fourth at the Tour of Flanders this year, improving on his sixth place finish in 2016.
Van Baarle also secured a memorable overall victory at the Tour of Britain in 2014 as a neo pro, showcasing his all-round talent and ability in week-long stage races.
In addition to his impressive result at Flanders, 2017 saw the 25 year old take top-10 finishes at Dwars Door Vlaanderen and E3 Harelbeke, in addition to completing his third Tour de France.
Dylan van Baarle said: “I’m really looking forward to the next two years. It’s a dream come true to ride for the team and I think this is the next step in my career.
“I’ve raced against Team Sky for the last four years and you can see it’s maybe the best team in the peloton. Now I’m joining the team and I think I will suit the team well. “I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
“I hope to get some good results next year in the Classics, but I think in small stage races I can also do a good GC performance. I have a good TT so that’s also one of my goals for the next few years, to show that I’m not only a Classics rider, but I also want to develop myself in the one-week stage races. I think Team Sky is a great place to help me do that.
“Finishing in fourth place at Flanders this year has given me a lot of motivation. Not just being so close to the podium, but also because I finished sixth the year before I could see the improvement in myself, and that’s what I want to keep up.
“Obviously I was a bit disappointed not to be on the podium but after a few weeks I was just happy to be in that position and able to sprint for second place. I want to do even better in the next few years.
“I want to target a podium in a big Classic like Flanders or Roubaix. That is my main target.”
