European champion and one of the best young Polish riders, Alan Banaszek has signed a 3-year deal with CCC Sprandi Polkowice.
"We want to continue our policy of building a strong U23 team and supporting talented Polish riders in their development. Alan Banaszek stands out in the junior peloton and from next year he will be riding in the U23 category. The transition from one category to another is not an easy one and we want to help him in that," Piotr Wadecki, sporting director of CCC Sprandi Polkowice, explains. "We are satisfied with how our espoirs developed in the 2015 season and we hope that Alan’s progress will also be smooth, efficient and he will achieve great results in his further professional career. "
CCC Sprandi Polkowice is the best team in Poland and gives its riders the opportunity to grow as cyclists," Alan Banaszek said. "You can tell that by looking at other U23 riders on the team, who have made a big step forward after joining the orange squad. This is what convinced me that that’s the right direction for me. After the conversation with the sporting director Piotr Wadecki, I’m optimistic about my future and I’m very happy that I will be part of this team in the upcoming years.
"I haven’t set any goals for myself for next year in terms of results. Of course, if I manage to win a race I will be very glad, but my main goal is to learn. I want to gain experience and I hope that it will pay off later on. I want to see what real professional cycling looks like and draw conclusions after every race."
"The decision to leave BDC NOSiR Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, where the atmosphere was literally and figuratively like in a family, was definitely not an easy one," he continues. "I will miss that for sure, but it was a step that I had to make to move forward in my cycling career. Besides, there is a chance that one day we will meet each other again in a different team."
Alan Banaszek has showcased his talent to the professional cycling world during the European Championship in Estonia, where he took gold.
"That victory didn’t change me much as a cyclist, because I had known before what I am capable of and I had already achieved good results in the international competitions. The European championships only confirmed the fact that I’m not afraid of riders from other countries and I’m able to take up the fight. "
His biggest achievements in the UCI races include 2nd place overall in the La Coupe du Président de la Ville de Grudziadz (2.1), where he also won one of the stages, the points and youth (first-year junior) classifications. He claimed 2nd on the stage of Keizer der Juniores (2014), finished 21st in the prestigious Paris-Roubaix (2014) and was selected to the Polish National Team for the Nations Cup events on multiple occasions.
Banaszek who will turn 18 this year, is the current Polish mountains champion on the road, claimed victory in the stage race „Złote koło” – XII Memoriału im. Józefa Tropaczyńskiego” (also winning one of the stages) and is the bronze medalist at the Polish Championships in duo time trial. He also has few wins in the Polish Cup events – both in time trial and road race – and in a few races of the Polish Criterium Championships under his belt. He ended the 2014 season at the top of the Polish Cycling Federation’s individual ranking in the junior category.
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