D'hoore leaves Mitchelton-Scott for Boels-Dolmans

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Belgian rider Jolien D'hoore has signed with Boels-Dolmans for 2019, the team announced on Wednesday. The 28-year-old will leave Mitchelton-Scott after one season in the Australian team for the Dutch organisation run by Danny Stam.

"Danny Stam first contacted me and after meeting with him, I felt that there was mutual trust and I appreciate the professionalism with which the team works," D'hoore said in a team press release.

"For a while now, Boels-Dolmans has been the number one team in women's cycling, home to so many champions. I feel honoured that I will be part of the team next year."

D'hoore will bolster the team's Classics squad, joining new world champion and the former Ardennes Classics triple winner Anna van der Breggen as well as Tour of Flanders runner-up Amy Pieters and Amstel Gold Race winner Chantal Blaak.

"I think we can ride for the win in any race in 2019 and of course I hope to be able to contribute to those wins," D'hoore said. "I'm massively looking forward to riding the spring Classics with this strong team."

D'hoore has 26 road victories to her name in addition to the 2017 world title in the Madison and the Olympic bronze medal in the Omnium in Rio. This season she won the Driedaagse Brugge - De Panne, but her season was briefly interrupted by a collarbone fracture from a mishap in a Madison in Germany in May. She recovered to win a stage of the Ovo Energy Tour three weeks later and went on to win two stages of the Giro Rosa.

She will continue to combine her ambitions on the track towards the 2020 Olympic Games with her road programme.

"I feel good combining both disciplines," says D'hoore. "The Madison is the main event I focus on in track cycling. The next two years therefore will be all about qualifying for Tokyo 2020 in the Madison. It means I'll ride several World Cup races, followed by full road seasons."

With Stam, a decorated Six Day rider, D'hoore will gain an important mentor for her track goals.

"In the Madison specifically, Danny Stam obviously also has plenty of experience to support me," she said. "So all in all, I am beyond excited to start this new adventure."