After Philippe Gilbert signed on with Lotto Soudal, the Belgian outfit has announced the signing of John Degenkolb with a two-year contract until at least the end of 2021.
Winner of Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in 2015, Degenkolb raced with Trek-Segafredo for three seasons. The arrivals come as Tiesj Benoot moves to Sunweb for 2020.
“The talks with Lotto Soudal have revealed that there are many similarities between the team’s goals and mine,” the German said.
“It makes sense that a Belgian team with a long history in cycling wants to excel during the Classics. That will be the aim for the first part of the season. In addition, I’m not slow at the finish, especially after a tough race. Of course, I also look forward to working with Caleb Ewan, who will undoubtedly be our number-one sprinter for his specific goals. But with my experience, I can provide added value for him and for Lotto Soudal. The team is often active on two or three fronts, which increases the chance to obtain nice results.
Lotto-Soudal’s Marc Sergeant said Degenkolb’s arrival will bolster the team’s chances in the classics and the sprints, as well bring a stronger German presence for team partner, Soudal, which has a marketing interest in Germany.
“He indicated that he wants to recognize and try to take opportunities, we will for sure be able to define some nice objectives, he is flexible in terms of his race schedule and he definitely wants to commit himself to Caleb Ewan,” Sergeant said.
