Dimension Data add Walscheid and Gogl for 2020
Duo become fourth and fifth signings of the off-season for South African team
Dimension Data have announced the signings of Max Walscheid and Michael Gogl as the team continue their revamp ahead of the rebranding to Team NTT in 2020.
Walscheid, 26, comes from Team Sunweb, where he has spent the past four seasons. The sprinter has racked up eight wins in his career, including the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro and stages at the Tour de Yorkshire, Tour of Denmark, and Tour of Hainan.
This season, Walscheid finished second at Scheldeprijs and has four podium places under his belt. He's currently competing in the Vuelta a España, his second Grand Tour since turning pro with the team back in 2016.
"I'm extremely thrilled about the opportunity to join Team NTT," said Walscheid. "The team offers me exactly the opportunity I was looking for at this point my career.
"We share the same goals, our interests were a perfect match, and I’m looking forward to working in a new environment which is not only a world class cycling team, but so much more."
Gogl, meanwhile, joins after spending three years at Trek-Segafredo.
During that time, the 25-year-old Austrian has worked largely as a domestique, racing four Grand Tours, including this season's Giro d'Italia. His best result from the 2019 season has been second in the road race at the Austrian National Championships.
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"I am indeed very proud to join the team in the future and to open a new sporting chapter together," said Gogl in a team statement. "The talks that I held with [team principal] Douglas Ryder convinced and motivated me immediately. I am looking forward to racing, especially the classics, where we will have a strong team."
Ryder hailed his new signings, the team's fourth and fifth of the off-season, noting the "wealth of experience" that Gogl brings, as well as pointing out his past experience of working with the team's sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo.
"Max is a very exciting addition to our team for the future," Ryder added. "He is a big, powerful sprinter who is going to add depth to our roster and brings with him a history of challenging for the top step of the podium."
The duo join Carlos Barbero, announced on Monday, as the newest members of what will be named Team NTT in 2020. UCI Hour Record holder Victor Campenaerts is also joining the team, as are talented neo-pros Samuele Battistella and Matteo Sobrero.
On the outgoings list, Lars Bak and Mark Renshaw have announced their retirements, while a number of other riders, including Mark Cavendish, are expected to move on as the team shakes up an underperforming roster for 2020.
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