Brennauer signs for Wiggle-High5

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Former world time trial champion Lisa Brennauer will ride for Wiggle-High5 in 2018 after reaching an agreement with the British-registered team. Brennauer has spent the past two seasons at Canyon-SRAM, having been part of the Velocio-SRAM outfit since 2012.

"I'm looking forward to being part of Team Wiggle-High5 next year," Brennauer said in a statement released by her new squad.

"The change is an important step in my career. I'm looking forward to it, it's about new influences that I expect a lot from. I'm looking forward to working with the team and my new teammates, most of whom I know already. I'm happy that I have the opportunity for a change to something new and different to make a next step forward."

Brennauer was world champion in the individual time trial in Ponferrada in 2014, when she also claimed silver in the road race behind Pauline Ferrand-Prevot. She took bronze in the time trial in Richmond a year later, and was also a mainstay in Velocio-SRAM's three successive team time trial world title wins between 2013 and 2015.

The German's greatest run of stage race success came in 2015, when she claimed the overall titles at the Energiewacht Tour, the Boels Rentals Ladies Tour and the Aviva Women's Tour. In 2017, Brennauer won the general classification at the Thüringen Rundfahrt and a stage of the Holland Ladies Tour, and placed third at the Tour of Flanders.

Brennauer will add firepower to a Wiggle-High5 team that has recently secured the services of Elisa Longo Borghini and Audrey Cordon Ragot for another season, though Jolien d'Hoore is set to leave the team for Orica-Scott in 2018.

"This change is also about new responsibilities," Brennauer said. "I'm in the middle of my career as a cyclist and could gain some experience already. I`m looking forward to sharing this experience and knowledge with young riders and maybe give good input to form the races.

"I think it's too early to talk about the 2018 goals in detail. One goal for me is definitely to make Wiggle-High5 as successful as possible together as a team. That's why I'm part of the team, that's why I'm a cyclist."

Wiggle-High5 manager Rochelle Gilmore welcomed the arrival of the 29-year-old Brennauer.

"We have been trying to sign Lisa for many years so to finally welcome her to Wiggle High5 is a real pleasure," Gilmore said.

"Lisa is one of very few athletes who can offer a team everything, she's the complete package; a super nice person, very experienced, a leader on and off the bike. And she's a time trial specialist who can also climb well and sprint with the best."