The 23-year-old German signs for our team after impressive spell as stagiaire.
Following a solid stint as a trainee for the UCI World Team Classification Leader, Jannik Steimle has been offered a contract as of next season. Hailing from Stuttgart, Steimle has impressed in his outings at Izegem Koers, Brussels Cycling Classic and Textielprijs Vichte earlier this month, which added to the six victories that he has already notched up in 2019 while riding for Team Vorarlberg, have earned him a two-year deal.
Jannik was, of course, ecstatic when talking about this move: “It’s an unbelievable feeling, a childhood dream come true! When Patrick offered me the contract, it was really crazy to think that I was going to sign with Deceuninck – Quick-Step. I am really happy to get this opportunity and now I can really show the team and the cycling world what I can do. I am eager to see what this new road in life will bring me, but I can already tell you that I love the classics and hard one-day races, where I tend to do good and have a strong sprint from a reduced bunch.”
“When I first came to the team, I was really nervous, but after two minutes it felt like it is a big family straight away. I arrived at the airport and our soigneur Kevin Verstaen picked me up and he was really nice to me and talked a lot about the squad and the feeling from him was really great. Then, at my first race, Patrick Lefevere was there, and also big riders like Yves, Iljo and Alvaro, and they were all really nice to me. We talked a lot, and then in Izegem, my first outing, I thought I performed well and showed what I can do. I want to thank the team again for this opportunity and I can’t wait to learn and work hard as a member of the Wolfpack”, added the promising German, whose two most important wins of the season came at the Tour of Austria, where he claimed the prologue and stage 5.
Deceuninck – Quick-Step CEO Patrick Lefevere spoke of his delight at having secured Steimle’s services for the next two years: “Jannik’s signing is very special for us. We have a good track record of developing young talent and it didn’t take long to decide that we would like him to stay with us. As well as being a strong rider, we have already seen that he is willing to work and learn from the more experienced guys around him. Crucially, he also has the personality to fit in well with the group and wants to be part of the team, so today we welcome him to the Wolfpack.”
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