Israel-Premier Tech made it official on Tuesday, announcing that South African Daryl Impey will remain with the team through 2023. The 37-year-old won a stage of the Tour de Suisse earlier this year but missed the Tour de France after contracting COVID-19.
The team's manager Kjell Carlström touted Impey's experience in the press release announcing the contract extension.
"Daryl Impey is undoubtedly one of the most experienced riders in the peloton but that isn't just on the road. Of course, Daryl is an exceptional road captain and a proven winner, but he is also the picture of professionalism when it comes to the way he conducts himself in the team," Carlström stated.
"When Daryl joined last year, it felt as though he had been with us from the beginning. We couldn't ask for a better role model for our younger riders and that, combined with Daryl's motivation and winning capabilities, made it an easy decision to add another year to his contract. Of course, it has been a period of ups and downs in his time with IPT but we were all thrilled to see Daryl get the win in Switzerland this year and are sure it won't be his last."
After sitting out most of July, Impey showed fine form this week when he claimed the silver medal in the Commonwealth Games road race behind winner Aaron Gate.
In thanking the team for their faith, he assured that he had more to give to the team next season.
"I still want to race for another season, especially after missing the Tour de France this year which was a big bummer for me. Missing out on that event made me really hungry to keep racing and I'm looking forward to hopefully being at the Tour Down Under next year, and those races I really love. It's been nice to have made the decision and agreed on the new contract with the team quite early so now I can look forward to the rest of the season and next year with IPT."
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Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert sign Herregodts, Marit
Rune Herregodts wins stage 1 of the Ruta del Sol (Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
After the announcement of the arrivals of former world champion Rui Costa and Mike Teunissen, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert named two more additions for the coming season with young riders Rune Herregodts and Arne Marit moving across from Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise.
Herregodts, 24, started the season with a victory in the Ruta del Sol from the day-long breakaway, taking the first leader's jersey. This month, he repeated that feat at the Sazka Tour, out-sprinting his fellow escapees after being up the road nearly the entire 196km stage.
With victories in the Ronde van Drenthe and U23 Paris-Tours, Herregodts has already shown his abilities in the Classics and as a baroudeur and takes inspiration from fellow attacker Taco van der Hoorn.
"I learned from my future teammates that the team works in a professional way with them and during my first meeting with the direction I got to know more about the particular attention that is being paid to equipment. This is an important factor for me, because I really care about the details. I'm always looking for marginal gains. I get my inspiration from podcasts with Taco van der Hoorn for example.
"During my first two seasons as a pro rider I discovered that I'm able to follow the better riders uphill. But now I'm stepping up to the World Tour, I will have to find out again how I can use my qualities best to maximize my contribution to the team goals. It will be an interesting journey of discovery, because my intention is to stay longer than two seasons with the team. One thing is for sure: my predilection for early breakaways will remain unchanged! "
Marit, winner of last year's GP du Morbihan ahead of well-established sprinters Bryan Coquard and Elia Viviani, adds to the team's sprint capabilities. Marit will find some familiar faces in the 2023 roster, with his training partner Aimé De Gendt and former development teammates Kobe Goossens and Gerben Thijssen in the roster.
The 23-year-old was inspired by Thijssen's recent victory in Tour de Pologne and sees the team as an ideal environment to hone his abilities.
"I hope to make the same evolution as Gerben by working with a fixed lead-out partner and by receiving many sprint opportunities, just like him. My ultimate goal is to compete for the victory on the Champs-Elysées, the most prestigious sprint in the world.
"I showed my capabilities with a victory in the GP du Morbihan and a seventh place in Paris-Tours. Unfortunately, my progression was slowed down this season due to a long series of crashes and bad luck. I'm very grateful for the faith that Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux kept in me during this difficult period. It took away the pressure and motivates me to show myself as much as possible this end of the season."
Laura Weislo is a Cyclingnews veteran of 20 years. Having joined in 2006, Laura extensively covered the Operacion Puerto doping scandal, the years-long conflict between the UCI and the Tour de France organisers ASO over the creation of the WorldTour, and the downfall of Lance Armstrong and his lifetime ban for doping. As Managing Editor, Laura coordinates coverage for North American events and global news.
