Lisa van Belle, the bronze medalist within the Madison on the Paris Olympic Games final summer time, has signed with SD Worx-Protime with fast impact, the staff introduced on Thursday. The 21-year-old will debut with the staff within the upcoming Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es.
Final yr, Van Belle and Maike van der Duin prevailed towards extra skilled groups within the Olympic Games Madison, ending third behind Italy and Nice Britain, and the pair went on to assert the European title in the identical occasion in February.
Now, after solely a part of the season with the Continental staff Velopro-Alphamotorhomes, Van Belle will step instantly into the Girls’s WorldTour on the Vuelta Femenina on Sunday, now as a rival to Van der Duin, who shall be competing with Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto within the Spanish stage race.
“She shall be thrown into the deep finish instantly,” Sports activities Director Danny Stam mentioned. “Typically it’s extra perfect to debut within the staff in a smaller race. Then again, there isn’t a excessive stress on our staff in Spain. For us, that is additionally at all times an intermediate stage of race. This manner Lisa can get acquainted with the staff and matches at the next degree with out stress.”
Stam had been following Van Belle’s outcomes and leapt on the alternative to signal her after Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak retired in February.
“The choice so as to add a rider is as a result of we had been recurrently tight in our line-ups,” Stam mentioned. “That is partly as a result of Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak stop due to her being pregnant. Since Lisa is, in my eyes, a expertise for the longer term, we felt that the earlier we’ve her underneath our wing, the higher. I’ve seen her working recurrently on the velodrome. That is the place the potential of an excellent bicycle owner stands out. She is a staff participant, but additionally an actual winner.
“I believe she will be able to turn into a lot stronger on the street. She had in her thoughts to finally make the swap from observe to street. We have now expertise of that with Lotte Kopecky and up to now additionally with Amy Pieters. We’re assured that Lisa can develop into an excellent rider on the street.”
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Van Belle known as the contract, which runs by the 2026 season, a ‘dream switch’ as a result of it can permit her to be taught the ropes on the street whereas nonetheless with the ability to preserve some targets on the observe.
“When it comes to observe biking, after all, this staff additionally has a wealth of expertise. Danny Stam has at all times mixed street and observe as a rider, whereas these days Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes additionally make that mixture very profitable. The staff subsequently helps me in my observe ambitions,” Van Belle mentioned.
“I did not suppose I might switch to the highest street staff at this younger age. Particularly the boldness expressed in me by the staff administration strengthens me tremendously. Workforce SD Worx-Protime has many skilled riders and a workers that is aware of learn how to carry skills to the highest. I can be taught an enormous quantity right here.
“I believe it’s nice to experience within the colors of Workforce SD Worx-Protime straight into the Vuelta. It’s a good technique to instantly expertise the staff’s manner of working and to get to know the riders and workers properly. I’ll attempt to dedicate myself as greatest I can to the opposite riders within the staff and particularly to Anna van der Breggen. I’m satisfied that that is instantly a race from which I can come out stronger.”
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