"I am happy, because this is what I wanted from the beginning," Vermote said. "I'm here for six years, I turned pro with this outfit and grew up in this environment. Under the guidance of the team I made some important steps and I feel like there's still room to improve and achieve a few more goals, at a personal level, but also together with the squad. For that reason, I want to thank Patrick Lefevere and the team for their trust."
Vermote has been a key support rider for the Belgian team. Although the 27-year-old has few major wins in his palmares, he is frequently at the pointy end of the peloton working for his teammates. When he's had chances to pursue his own results, he's won the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen (2012) and a stage at the Tour of Britain (2014).
"Julien is one of the most reliable riders in the peloton, always there for the team, on the flat and on the mountains, in the rain or under the scorching sun," Lefevere said. "In this year's Tour de France, he spent more than 1,000 kilometres at the front of the bunch, which says a lot about his commitment, and he was there for Dan Martin on the last Alpine stage, helping him secure his top 10 in the GC and proving what a valuable road captain he is."
Bardiani renew with eight
The Bardiani-CSF team announced the renewal of contracts with eight of their riders though the 2017 season: Simone Andreetta, Enrico Barbin, Nicola Boem, Mirco Maestri, Nicola Ruffoni, Paolo Simion, Alessandro Tonelli and Edoardo Zardini.
They will be joined by Stefano Pirazzi, who earlier extended his contract, and neo-pros Giulio Ciccone, Lorenzo Rota and Simone Velasco, bringing the current tally for next year's team to 12. More signings will be announced in the coming weeks.
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