New Irish pro team Aqua Blue Sport has unveiled another seven new signings, among them WorldTour talent. Above, head down at this year's Tour de France is Leigh Howard who joins from IAM Cycling (Photo: Sirotti)
Having already unveiled its first four signings last week, Aqua Blue Sport has named another seven of its riders this afternoon.
They include outgoing IAM Cycling teammates Stefan Denifl and Leigh Howard.
Also signed are Dutchmen Michel Kreder (29) and Peter Koning (25), former An Post-Chainreaction riders Aaron Gate (25) from New Zealand and Australian Calvin Watson (23).
And completing the seven-strong group named this morning is Dane Lasse Norman Hansen (24); the man who took gold in the omnium at the London Olympics.
Denifl is the most experienced of the group and finished 4th in the mountains classification at this year’s Giro d’Italia.
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“We have to grow and fight as a team and success will come with that,” he said of Aqua Blue Sport which takes to the pro peloton for the first time next year.
“Personally I am looking forward to a good preparation for 2017 and a year where I will be at my best. I am highly motivated to achieve my goals and the team’s goals, on and off the bike.”
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He said he was looking forward to being part of the new team. It has styled itself ‘Ireland’s first pro cycling team’.
“From first contact onwards, the people behind this team have shown great motivation, professionalism and a new vision for a cycling team,” added Denifl.
“I feel that Aqua Blue Sport believes in me as a rider and as a person, and this is the environment that I want for my future development.”
Australian Howard said he was hopefully of achieving personal goals but very much wanted to be part of the team effort from the beginning.
“I want to win races of course, but cycling is a team sport so success comes from a team point of view,” he said.
“For Aqua Blue Sport success won’t just mean podium places – we’re a new name so we’ll need to prove ourselves, and prove that we deserve to be up there as a pro team.
“I love the idea of being part of an Irish team – I raced in the Tour of Ireland in 2009 and absolutely loved every minute of it, apart from the rain.
"To be a part of the first ProConti team to come out of Ireland is really exciting, even though I’m not Irish!” he said.
Last week the team named Lars Petter Nordhaug and Irish trio Martyn Irvine, Matt Brammeier and Conor Dunne as their first four athletes.
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