Thomas De Gendt extends contract with Lotto-Soudal
Jul 22 2020 05:56 am CET
Image: Lotto Soudal logo
Thomas De Gendt has renewed his contract with Lotto Soudal for two more years, so he will stay until at least the end of 2022.
The 'King of the breakaways' has been in the formation since 2015 and there he has taken wins at race like the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a España, the Volta a Catalunya, Paris-Nice and the Criterium du Dauphine. The Belgian -who will restart his season at the Tour de Pologne- will now remain in the team until at least 2022.
"It was so obvious for me. It never entered my mind to change teams. Why should I?", he said. "I know this house already for six years. Honestly, I have never been interested in another team. Lotto Soudal knows me and gives me the freedom I need, a freedom that I would never get somewhere else. In the past, we have won many nice races together. I am convinced that together we still have nice years ahead of us.
"For the classics we have other champions such as Philippe Gilbert, Tim Wellens and John Degenkolb. I will help them where I can. My personal dream is to win a stage in the ten biggest stage races. As I have already won in Catalunya, Paris-Nice, Suisse, Romandie and Dauphiné, I just miss Tirreno and País Vasco. Unfortunately, this will not be possible in 2020 but I hope to achieve it in the coming years, with the support of the team."
Lotto-Soudal's General Manager John Lelangue welcomed the renewal of the rider's contract. "I am happy to see that Thomas loves his current environment," he commented. "He can win races but is a perfect team player as well. This contract extension is good for the stability and continuity of the team.
"Thomas understands that Lotto Soudal really has a vision. Moreover, he has been so successful and loyal to the team. We need him. With Thomas, we continue to build on the team's future. More agreements will be announced soon."
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