Veteran sprinter André Greipel could join up with young Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel at his Corendon-Circus team in 2020, according to reports in the Belgian press. The 37-year-old German rider has terminated his contract for next year with French team Arkéa-Samsic, but is not set to announce his future plans until early November.
Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad suggested on its website nieuwsblad.be on Wednesday that, rather than contemplating retirement, Greipel is in fact looking to kickstart his career after a quiet season by his standards by joining a new team next season – which could be this year's Amstel Gold winner Van der Poel's Corendon-Circus set-up.
The Belgian team is set to ride on German brand Canyon's bikes in 2020, and the German connection could prove key. Former pro Michael Rich – who nieuwsblad.be report is a good friend of Greipel's – works for Canyon as a consultant. Additionally, Alpecin shampoo – a co-sponsor of the Katusha-Alpecin team this season, which will be taken over by the Israel Cycling Academy squad for next year – is also German, and said to be coming on board with Corendon-Circus for next season.
However, South African WorldTour outfit Dimension Data is also rumoured to be interested in securing Greipel's services, while the newspaper reports that there's also another team chasing his signature.
In a joint announcement made with Arkéa-Samsic last week, Greipel made no mention of retirement, and said that he'd announce a decision on his future after a family holiday.
"Until the beginning of November, I will leave my social media accounts silent and am not available for requests from the media," the 11-time Tour de France stage winner said. "In the week of November 4-10, I will inform you about the 2020 cycling season."
