Etixx - Quick-Step announces that they have reached a deal with Italian rider Davide Martinelli for the next two seasons (2016-2017).

Martinelli, born in 1993, is a powerful rouleur. In his last years as an Under 23 rider, Martinelli, born in 1993, stood out for some important achievements, including three consecutive TT national championships , a second place in the 2014 European TT championships, and the green jersey for the points classification at the 2014 Tour de l’Avenir. This year he has made his mark in the Parma-La Spezia and scored a sixth place in the Roubaix, as well as coming in 11th in the Tour des Flandres Under 23 race.

“For me this is a dream come true,” explains Davide, son of Sports Director Giuseppe Martinelli. “Over the winter I started talks with the team though the Team talent scout Joxean Matxin. Before the Roubaix in the end of May, I went to the Bakala Academy, the Belgian team’s centre for high performance, for the evaluation test. After which, at the end of the Tour de France I was contacted and I signed my first professional contract. Personally this is a fantastic achievement and I thank Etixx - Quick-Step and Patrick Lefevere for the faith they’ve placed in me. I love the Belgian races, the Northern routes, and I don’t think there is any better team for these types of races. Now I want to finish out my season as best I can with team Colpack and then in December I will embark on this excellent adventure among the pros.”

“We’ve been following Davide for quite some time through our talent scout perusing the youth ranks,” said the team’s CEO Patrick Lefevere. “He won us over with his athletic skill and his vision of cycling. We think he can become an important rider to our team structure, especially in the Northern races, and in this first phase as a support to the team leader. Davide is a big rouleur and a strong time trialist, yet he can also hold his own in tight bunch sprints, as his results show. We are confident that it won’t take him long to become an athlete who can really stand out on the international cycling scene.”