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Mollema, Rast, and Irizar renew contracts with Trek Segafredo

  • Ron 

Trek-Segafredo is excited to announce that Bauke Mollema, Markel Irizar and Grégory Rast have extended their contracts for two more years. With these contract extensions, Trek-Segafredo continues to lay the basis for 2017 and 2018.

Mollema, 29, is a consistent general classification rider with three top ten finishes in the Tour de France on his record. In this year’s Tour de France, he is currently sitting in 7th place.

Mollema: “For me, it was an easy decision to stay with Trek-Segafredo. I think this is the right team for me to keep improving as a rider. The atmosphere in the team is really good, the Trek bikes are cutting-edge and we have fantastic sponsors. I feel like I’m at the right place here.”

GM Luca Guercilena: “I’m very happy with our quickly sealed deal. Bauke is extremely professional on and off the bike and he is very consistent in his performances. He is a real fighter. Bauke still has potential to improve and that’s why we keep putting our faith in him. He’s at his best in grand tours, where it’s all about consistency. Even in one-week races he can pull it off, like last year’s win in Tour of Alberta and second place in Tirreno-Adriatico.”

Markel Irizar, 36, is in his 13th season as a professional bike racer, but the energetic and affable Basque workhorse is still as motivated as a neo-pro.

Irizar: “After the classics, Luca (Guercilena) told me the team was pleased with my performances and he asked if I wanted to stay with the team until the end of 2018. Of course, I wanted to do this because I love cycling, it’s my passion. I can’t imagine riding for a different team anymore.”

GM Luca Guercilena: “Markel’s value for the team is often underestimated. He’s a great road captain, and one of the best domestiques in the peloton. You can always rely on him. There are numerous occasions where he showed this, such as last year’s Tour stage at the Mur de Huy where he helped an injured Fabian over the finish line. Besides him being a good rider, Markel is also very good for the atmosphere: he always remains positive and so often cheers everyone up.”

Grégory Rast, 36, is the third rider to renew his contract. The Swiss domestique has already competed in 44 monuments, and will stay on for another two years to add to that incredible tally.

Rast: “I’m happy that I can stay two more years with the team. For me personally the classics campaign was disappointing, so I want to come back and be better next year. If you see that, for example, Mathew Hayman can win Roubaix, I think I can be good again and work for our leaders. I’m looking forward to working with the young guys like (Edward) Theuns and (Jasper) Stuyven.”

GM Luca Guercilena: “All year long, you can count on Grégory. In the classics he’s perfect to help the leaders into the final, or in sprint stages he uses his body and his power to get the sprinters in the right position for the last kilometers. He will never complain if he needs to pull in the peloton and he shares a lot of experience with the younger riders.”

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