Last-minute call up to Boels-Dolmans for Anna Plichta

Polish cyclist Anna Plichta has signed a contract with Boels Dolmans as a late addition to its roster for the 2018 season, according to a team press release. The 25-year-old rode with WM3 Pro Cycling this season and BTC City Ljubljana in 2016.

“I'm so proud that I will join the best team in the world,” Plichta said in the team statement. “I look up to all Boels Dolmans riders and I will be their teammate next year.

“When I was younger, I followed women’s cycling and I always looked up to Boels-Dolmans. Later I would also ride against them in races, but next year we will work together. It will be such a pleasure to race with these girls and to be their teammate.”

Two spots on the team’s roster opened up following the exit of Kasia Pawlowska and Nikki Brammeier, who will focus on cyclo-cross in 2018. The team had recently announced signing American sprinter Skylar Schneider, 19, to fill one of those spots and now Plichta for the second.

“I think that Anna Plichta is a great person to have on our team, but more importantly, I believe she is a strong rider,” director Danny Stam said in a team statement. “I hope she will be able to show her potential and that she’ll be an important contribution to our team.”

“I had just experienced that you cannot really be sure to have a team before you signed a contract. But everything was quickly and easily arranged. It was truly a last call, also for team managers to finalise their rosters for 2018.