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Keukeleire extends with Orica-GreenEdge

By Cycling News

published 8 August 2013

Belgian looks to the Classics in 2014

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Jens Keukeleire (Orica-GreenEdge) celebrates his success(Image credit: El Pedal de Frodo)

Jonathan Hivert and Jens Keukeleire come to the line in 8th and 9th(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)

Jens Keukeleire (Orica GreenEdge) during the Paris-Nice prologue(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Jens Keukeleire has signed up to stay with Orica-GreenEdge for another two years, celebrating the news with a timely victory on day two of the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain.

GreenEdge's classics ambitions boosted with Keukeleire

Matthews nets his first win for Orica GreenEdge

Sebastian Langeveld set to leave Orica GreenEdge

Keukeleire celebrates new contract with stage win in Burgos

The Belgian has been with the Australian WorldTour team since 2012 and has his eye on the one-day Classics in 2014 after developing consistently during the last two seasons.

“Once I got the offer to stay, it was an easy choice,” said Keukeleire. “I have been really happy these past two years. For me, the most important thing is to be able to grow and to ride the type of program I want, and the team has always given me those opportunities.”

“This year I had a really nice program in the Classics and the Giro,” he said in the team's press release. “Strangely, my best memory from this year is the Giro, at least the first half anyway. The team we had there made it really fun to race – until the second half when the weather became so bad. I felt that I moved up a step when I look back to last year.”

“Jens has certainly developed in the last two years,” said Sport Director Matt White. “He’s only four years in as a professional, and he can already handle a very big workload as we saw with racing the Classics and then going straight to the Giro.”

“I love the one day races the most,” Keukeleire said. “Having many nice races in the beginning of the season so close to where I live makes them an obvious target.” This year he was seventh in Dwars door Vlaanderen, and in the other races supported Sebastian Langeveld, who is leaving the team.

“We see a future for Jens as he grows into a leader for the one day races, especially those in Belgium,” added White. “He has a big potential for this style of racing.”