Cannondale-Garmin sign Wippert for 2016 and 2017

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Cannodale-Garmin announced on Sunday that they have added Dutchman Wouter Wippert to their roster for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The team has also renewed two-year contracts for his compatriots Tom-Jelte Slagter and Dylan Van Baarle.

Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports and Cannondale-Garmin, commented on the addition of Wippert to the team, saying he is, “an incredible up-and-coming sprint talent, and we are very excited to add him to the team. We have always been committed to developing young talent, and all three of these riders are young and talented. The upcoming two years will be important for them, and we look forward to helping them grow as athletes.”

Wippert has spent the last two seasons with Drapac Pro Cycling where he showed promise in the bunch sprints. This year, he won a stage on the WorldTour circuit at the Santos Tour Down Under. He also took two stage wins at the Tour de Taiwan, second in a stage at the Tour of the Gila, three podium finishes at the Amgen Tour of California and a stage win at the Tour de Korea.

“After two fantastic learning years with Drapac, I'm ready for the next step in my career,” Wippert said. “Cannondale-Garmin is giving me the opportunity and guidance to succeed in the WorldTour. Together we've made a plan for the next two years to develop myself as sprinter and that gives me a lot of confidence. I can't wait to start this new project!”

In keeping with the theme of developing young talents, Cannodale-Garmin have also renewed contracts with Slagter and Van Baarle.

Vaugthers noted that Slagter will continue to build on his performances in the Ardennes Classics next season. The Dutch rider signed with Vaughters’ program Garmin-Sharp in 2014 and had a strong season finishing fifth at Flèche Wallonne and sixth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and won two stages at Paris-Nice. He recently took a fifth-place finish in a stage at the Eneco Tour.

“I'm very happy and excited to be part of Cannondale-Garmin for the next two years,” Slagter said. “It’s been a great experience for me and I’m proud to be part of this team. I can't wait to improve personally with the team and show that to all the fans who support us.”

Van Baarle, who also joined the team in 2014, will continue to focus on the cobbled classics. This year he was third at the Dwars door Vlaanderen, won the youth classification at Bayern Rundfhart and second in a stage of the Eneco Tour. He also won the overall title at the Tour of Britain last year.

“Dylan showed his strength in his first Tour de France this year and brought that forward with strong riding in the Eneco Tour,” Vaughters said. “We look forward to seeing how he continues to grow as a rider and know that he has a huge future.”