After being let go by Trek-Segafredo, Charlie Quarterman's bid to remain in the WorldTour has ended as the 23-year-old signed with the new amateur French outfit Philippe Wagner Cycling.
The 23-year-old's time in the WorldTour was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and a heavy crash in his first outing with Trek-Segafredo at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2021 that left him with a concussion. He was out of competition for two months and struggled to return to top form.
In the meantime, Trek-Segafredo quietly decided to move on without him. "I thought they'd give me another year to show what I have but pro cycling and sport can be like that and there's nothing you can do," Quarterman told Cyclingnews last month.
"I'm still not sure on the reasons as to why I wasn't renewed. I've been told that the development just didn't come fast enough and that there were market forces with too many young riders that they wanted to sign.
"So I've been pushed out, after two years with quite a lot of stuff happening, but also after two years of loyalty. I'm surprised by their decision. I think that there's more to the story. It's a shame to be leaving the set-up because I would have been very happy to re-sign and build. It was a good environment for that."
Philippe Wagner, a French maker of salted and cured meats and sausages, has sponsored cycling events such as the Tour Alsace and Tour de la Mirabelle and the 2021 European mountain bike championships.
The new team will have 18 mostly under-23 riders. Quarterman is one of five non-French riders along with fellow Briton Charlie Bailey, Polish rider Adam Kus, Lithuanian Zygimantas Matuzevicius, Hungarian Grego Russian and Norwegian Vebjorn Ronning.
Philippe Wagner Cycling’s 2022 squad:
- Thomas Acosta, 24
- Charlie Bailey, 19
- Clément Braz Afonso, 21
- Thomas Cabot, 20
- Alexis Caresmel, 29
- Aurélien Doléatto, 24
- Matéo Jot, 18
- Adam Kus, 22
- Zygimantas Matuzevicius, 19
- Robin Meyer, 25
- Simon Michel, 19
- Bastien Michon, 18
- Rémi Micolon, 21
- Charlie Quarterman, 23
- Gergo Russian, 22
- Aurélien Philibert, 26
- Vebjorn Ronning, 22
- Raffael Zarbo, 18
