Ten Dam reported to be leaving Sunweb for new CCC set-up

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Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf is reporting that Team Sunweb's Laurens ten Dam is to move to the new CCC set-up for next season.

Ten Dam – who has been with Sunweb and its previous guise as Giant-Alpecin since 2016, having joined from LottoNL-Jumbo – is currently recovering from the broken collarbone he sustained in a crash at the Profronde van Surhuisterveen post-Tour criterium at the end of July, having finished this year's Tour de France in 51st position.

It was the Dutch veteran's 10th Tour de France, and he played a key role in delivering Sunweb team leader Tom Dumoulin to second place overall in Paris, having previously shepherded his compatriot to his 2017 Giro d'Italia victory, and again to second place overall at this year's Giro.

Ten Dam's departure would be a big loss to Sunweb, who for next season have already lost Simon Geschke, as well as Phil Bauhaus – who's headed for Bahrain-Merida – and Roy Curvers, who's retiring. Ten Dam and Geschke's departures, in particular, will considerably deplete Dumoulin's Grand Tour armoury, with only three neo-pros having so far been announced as joining Sunweb for next year.

Ten Dam, 37, is said to have turned down a new contract with Sunweb to join Geschke at the 'new' CCC team, which is essentially a merger of the current BMC Racing and Pro Continental-level CCC Sprandi Polkowice outfits, and which will race under the BMC team's WorldTour licence, owned by Jim Ochowicz's company Continuum Sports.

The new team, which is headlined by current Olympic road race champion Greg Van Avermaet, has yet to name any Grand-Tour-contender signings for next season, and may initially remain built around Van Avermaet's one-day Classics ambitions.

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