Skil-Shimano's Iwan Spekenbrink has told Cyclingnews that any announcement over a possible signing of John Degenkolb will be made through official channels and at the appropriate time. The team boss has admitted that John Degenkolb is a rider he would be keen to sign, with HTC-Highroad set to wind up at the end of the season.
Cyclingnews also understands that Spekenbrink is interested in signing a team leader, said to be Degenkolb's teammate Tony Martin. However Spekenbrink refused to comment on Martin specifically, only saying that he was a good rider and telling Cyclingnews that, "We are looking to sign a rider of his calibre if the opportunity is there."
Like Degenkolb, Martin is on the market, as their contract for next year are void with HTC-Highroad ending.
As for Degenkolb, who is one of the sport's most promising sprinters, Spekenbrink was more comfortable commenting on: "We've not made an official comment yet. What I can say is that Degenkolb is a very good rider and one that we're certainly...interested in. Hopefully we'll have more news in the coming weeks. A good agreement it depends on two sides. As soon as there is official news we'll make an official comment."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.