Merijn Zeeman, sports manager of Jumbo-Visma, wants Wout Van Aert to be rewarded for his top year. “We want to break open his contract this fall.”
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Zeeman followed the Tour of Flanders from Spain, where he will take a shot at the overall victory in the Vuelta with Primoz Roglic and Tom Dumoulin from Tuesday. “We are extremely proud of Wout, of the development he is going through and of the fantastic season that he has driven”, it sounds.
What Zeeman, like all viewers, saw was that Van Aert was isolated in the last fifty kilometers. ‘Wout was set off well in the final by Maarten Wynants and Timo Roosen. If Mike Teunissen had been fit, he could have assisted Wout longer. Mike himself is capable of driving top ten in these races. ‘
That other super helper Amund Grondahl Jansen is leaving, but with Nathan Van Hooydonck and Edoardo Affini the classic team will be reinforced next year. Zeeman: ‘Don’t forget the young talent David Dekker. We will continue to invest to assist Wout as well as possible in the coming years. He is an absolute spearhead of ours. ‘
A spearhead whose contract expires at the end of 2021. ‘It is our style to keep breaking open the contracts of the leaders. We are already engaged in those negotiations. It is a project that we want to complete this autumn. ‘
If Van Aert signs up, his contract will receive a major upgrade. Zeeman realizes that. ‘Wout is now one of the best riders in the world. The terms of a new contract will look completely different. We are therefore also in talks with our sponsors to make this possible. I expect we will come together. We still have big plans for Wout. The future of Jumbo-Visma is closely linked to the future of Wout. ‘
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