Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) in the blue jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Steegmans will hope to continue his sprinting success in the colours of Russian team Katusha, where he will move next year.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Belgian sprinter Gert Steegmans will join the Trek Factory Racing Team in 2015. The 34-year-old sprinter and former lead-out man to Tom Boonen was the final rider for the now complete roster.
“I’m happy to have landed a team for 2015," Steegmans said. "I’ve been training hard these last weeks and now I can focus on training without having to worry about contract negotiations. Trek Factory Racing is a great team and has excellent support staff. It’s a young team, but the management has a clear, long-term vision.”
Steegmans comes to the team after four seasons with the Quickstep organisation, and rejoins Trek general manager Luca Guercilena in the team.
“We’re stoked to have Gert in the team," Guercilena said. "I know him personally from the times where we were both at QuickStep. He’s one of the biggest engines in the peloton and he’s very motivated to have a great season. This is a last-minute signing for us and we’ll start working on Gert’s training schedule and race program right away.”
In his dozen professional seasons, Steegmans has spent most of his time as a helper, but scored his career's biggest victory in the 2008 Tour de France when he won the final stage on the Champs-Elysées over Gerald Ciolek and Oscar Freire. He has also won stages in Paris-Nice, the Ruta del Sol, the 4 Days of Dunkerque and won the overall and stages at the Circuit Franco-Belge.
“I’m excited to get to know many new faces, starting next week at the team camp in Spain. I hope to support Fabian (Cancellara) in the Cobblestone Classics and to share my experience with the young sprinters of the team,” Steegmans said.
Trek Factory Racing for 2015: Eugenio Alafaci Julian Arredondo Fumiyuki Beppu Matthew Busche Fabian Cancellara Marco Coledan Stijn Devolder Laurent Didier Fabio Felline Markel Irizar Bob Jungels Bauke Mollema Giacomo Nizzolo Yaroslav Popovych Grégory Rast Hayden Roulston Fränk Schleck Jesse Sergent Fabio Silvestre Gert Steegmans Jasper Stuyven Boy Van Poppel Danny Van Poppel Kristof Vandewalle Calvin Watson Riccardo Zoidl Haimar Zubeldia
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