Lotto Soudal strengthens team with John Degenkolb

Lotto Soudal welcomes John Degenkolb to the team next year. The 30-year-old German trades Trek-Segafredo for Lotto Soudal and signed an agreement until the end of 2021. Degenkolb turned pro in 2011 and evolved into an excellent Classics rider, whose strong sprint is an extra trump card at the end of a tough race or on a technical finish. In 2015, he triumphed in both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, which saw him add two Monuments to his palmares. Early 2016, ‘Dege’ had to miss his beloved spring Classics due to a serious collision with a car. However, the German fought his way back to the top, claiming an emotional win at the Tour de France stage nine, which finished in Roubaix, as the absolute highlight. Degenkolb now opts for a new adventure with Lotto Soudal and already looks ahead.

John Degenkolb: “The talks with Lotto Soudal have revealed that there are many similarities between the team’s goals and mine. 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.”

“I am firmly convinced that I have reached the age to earn good results on the highest level and to keep performing during the most important races. I know the races, the courses and I have the physical capacities. I already look forward to preparing the 2020 season and to getting to know everybody. Me and Philippe Gilbert can make a complementary duo. We get along really well, I admire him as one of the best Classics riders and with his style of racing, opportunities will come along for all of us. The coming weeks, my goals are to be found in La Vuelta and the World Championships, where I want to conclude my three-year period at Trek-Segafredo as good as possible.”

Marc Sergeant, sports manager at Lotto Soudal, is delighted that John Degenkolb will be part of the team next year.

Marc Sergeant: “With John Degenkolb and Philippe Gilbert, we managed to add two great riders to our team. John is fast after a hard race, which makes a big difference if you go to the line with, for example twenty riders. I hope that we will get to see the best Degenkolb the coming years and I am convinced that he is capable of doing so. As a team, you need certain riders as a signboard, which usually has a good impact on the other guys. John has gathered a lot of experience and a big credibility inside the peloton. 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. The fact that we are able to get a German rider on board, is a nice bonus for our partner Soudal, for whom the German market is very important.”

John Degenkolb

Nationality: German
Date of birth: 07/01/1989 – Gera
Turned pro in 2011 with HTC-Highroad

1m80 – 77 kg

47 pro victories

Classics

Milan – San Remo (2015)
Paris-Roubaix (2015)
Gent – Wevelgem (2014)
Paris-Tours (2013)
Vattenfall Cyclassics (2013)

Grand Tours

1x stage victory Giro d’Italia
1x stage victory Tour de France
10x stage victory Vuelta a España

Other stage races

Stage victories in: Critérium du Dauphiné (2x), Dubai Tour (2x), Tour de Pologne (1x), Paris-Nice (1x),…