23-year-old to turn down interest from Astana and other WorldTour teams
Image 1 of 4
Louis Meintjes (MTN-Qhubeka)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Louis Meintjes finishes stage 12 with a torn jersey from an earlier crash.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Louis Meintjes (MTN-Qhubeka)(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Louis Meintjes (MTN-Qhubeka)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Young South African prospect Louis Meintjes is set to turn down interest from several WorldTour teams and re-sign with MTN – Qhubeka for the next two seasons.
The 23-year-old, who is currently competing in the Arctic Race of Norway, told Cyclingnews that he had various options for 2016. However, his team and his agent both confirmed that he would be signing with MTN – Qhubeka.
“It’s still undecided and I’m out of contract. There’s quite a bit of interest but we’ll see. MTN is a good place, that’s all I’m saying. This team is always growing, I don’t see this place as a limiting factor,” Meintjes told Cyclingnews.
If those comments were on the vague side, his agent at least provided something more tangible.
“A few teams have been asking about him but his future lies with MTN. The team is backing him for the future and I think staying is in his best interests. That’s where he’ll end up,” his agent said.
According to his agent a number of WorldTour teams has shown interest in Meintjes, including Astana. After the Arctic Race of Norway Meintjes will head to the Vuelta a España, where he will be targeting stage wins.
“I’m very excited and I’m happy to have that opportunity," he said. "The objective is to honestly take it day by day because it will be two Grand Tours back to back for me and I have to see how my body copes with that.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“I’m feeling surprisingly good here so hopefully I’ll feel the same in the Vuelta. It’s a great race and down south it’s going to be really hot. I’ll see what I can do there. The team wants to give as many opportunities to as many riders as possible.”
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
