GreenEdge's classics ambitions boosted with Keukeleire
Young Belgian joins Australian project from Cಞofidis


Following news this week that GreenEdge has finalised its roster for what is hoped will be the Australian project’s debut season as a ProTour team, Belgian 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Jens Keukeleire has been announced as the latest recruit.
Keukeleire is the 19𝔍th rider to join GreenEdge and has spent the past two seasons with the Cofidis team, winning the 3-Daagse van West-Vlaanderen a🎃nd the Nokere Koerse for the French squad in 2010.
At age 22, Ke🅰uke🅘leire becomes an important asset for the fledgling outfit but even with his inclusion the average age of GreenEdge currently stands near 29 years.
"If you look at the list, and the ages if some of our riders we're looking two, three, four years out," financial backer 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Gerry Ryan told Cyclingnews this week, indicating that GreenEdge would be announcing some you🌸nger riders to join Stuart O’Grady, Pieter Weening, Robbie McEwen, Baden Cooke, Matt Wilson, Jens Mouris, Simon Gerrans, Svein Tuft and Michael Al😼basini who are all aged 30 and above.
In a sta♉tement released by GreenEdge, Keukeleire explained that he was hoping to learn from the likes of O’Grady and McEwen, who he said he has "enormous respect for."
"I still have a lot to learn. I need to get stronger and to improve my training, m🎀y technique and my tactical skills," he admitted. "GreenEdge is giving me the platform and time to improve and develop on all those areas.
"Because 📖I know the position and knowledge of Austral﷽ian cycling it was not a hard decision.
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"I lo🐻ok forwar൩d to working with the highly qualified staff and to be part of a great group of riders."
GreenEdge general manager Shayne Bannan explainꦦed that he ൩has had his eye on Keukeleire for a few years.
"When I was part of the national team I saw Jens race against our under-23 squad and he made quite an impression on me, so I've watched him closely in his first two seasons as a profe🅺ssion🅷al," Bannan said.
"His early results show that he is a big talent, particularly in the one-day races that we'll be targeting in our first few seasons.
"The Belgians areꦜ born with these races in their DNA so Jens unde💦rstands exactly what we're trying to achieve.
"He's still very young so there’s no expectation that he can go out next season and win one of the major spring classics but he has the potential to do so in the future."
As a sports journalist and producer since 1997, Jane has covered Olympic and Commonwealth Games, rugby league, motorsport, cricket, surfing, triathlon, rugby union, and golf foꦦr print, radio, television and online. However her en𝓰during passion has been cycling.
Jane is a former Australian Editor of Cyclingnews from 2011 to 2013 an🐲d continues to freelance within the cycling industry.