Jakobsen extends contract with Deceuninck-QuickStep

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Fabio Jakobsen has signed a contract extension with Deceuninck-QuickStep that will keep him at the Belgian squad until the end of 2021. The Dutchman turned professional with the team last year, winning seven races in his debut season.

"I am very excited to continue with the team until at least 2021," Jakobsen said in a statement released by the team on Tuesday.

"Deceuninck-QuickStep is the team to be in, as I can learn so much and make important progress here. In the future, I want to be one of the best sprinters in the world and win big races, and Deceuninck-QuickStep is the squad who can help me reach all these goals. I'm living the dream with the best team in the world and I'm grateful for the trust and the support I continuously receive."

The 22-year-old Jakobsen signed with Quick-Step last year after three seasons with SEG Racing Academy. He showcased his sprint talents early by winning Nokere Koerse in March and then underlined his status by claiming Scheldeprijs a month later.

His first WorldTour win came at the BinckBank Tour in August and he completed his debut season with a brace of stage wins at the Tour of Guangxi, which brought Quick-Step's total tally for the season to 73.

Jakobsen is part of a strong stable of sprint talent at Deceuninck-QuickStep alongside Italian champion Elia Viviani and the Colombian youngster Alvaro Hodeg. The Dutchman should enjoy greater opportunities in 2019 following the departure of Fernando Gaviria to UAE Team Emirates during the off-season.

"To say that we were impressed with Fabio's first year with us would be an understatement," said team manager Patrick Lefevere. "To beat some of the peloton's fastest and experienced sprinters shows that you possess not just the skills and the talent, but also the confidence and ability to take the right decision at the right time. He's got a bright future ahead of him and we're happy he decided to continue building it as part of our team."

Jakobsen will start his 2019 season at the Volta ao Algarve next week and he will line out at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on Opening Weekend. He is due to be Deceuninck-QuickStep’s sprinter at Paris-Nice, while Viviani will compete at Tirreno-Adriatico.