Trek Factory Racing are focussing on both Classics and stage races in 2015 with Fabian Cancellara and new signing Bauke Mollema. Sports director Dirk Demol spoke to Café Roubaix about the teams objectives for 2015, which includes developing young talents like Bob Jungels and Jasper Stuyven.

Despite having good stage racers like Haimar Zubeldia and Frank Schleck in the team, Trek never focussed on stage races, only the Tour de France. But with Mollema’s arrival, they will look at the bigger picture and try to get good results in all of the stage races he enters.

“In the last two years we didn’t have a rider to come all the time in the top 10 of stage races, and Bauke Mollema will help us fix that. As we could see, he is always a candidate for a podium in stage races, but also in the Classics. Is great to have him in the team, and with Frank Schleck and Haimar Zubeldia in very good shape, we’re much stronger now. In the training camp we could see Bauke was fitting quite easily in the group, so I’m sure he will have a nice season.”

Mollema has spoken a lot this offseason about trying to get into the Tour’s top five on GC. This is something that Trek firmly believe he can do, and Demol is constructing a training program to help the Dutchman do so.

“We could see in the past that at the end of the Tour his legs weren’t so good, so maybe we have to think of a different program or preparation, in order for him to have more power for the last week-end, which is so crucial for the final standings. Bauke is a rider who can adapt to a new program, so it won’t be difficult to do this. One of the most important goals will be to bring him as fit as possible at the start of the Tour de France.”

Demol acknowledged that Cancellara will as always face strong compettion to win Flanders and Roubaix again, but says that the Swiss star will be there in the finals of both races once more in 2015.

“It’s never easy to win a Monument, but he did it two seasons in a row, taking Flanders, Roubaix and again Flanders, as well as getting many other podiums. Of course, there are guys like Sep Vanmarcke, Greg Van Avermaet, John Degenkolb and Peter Sagan who want to win a Classic, but Fabian is looking good after the training camps and is much fitter than one year ago. He still has the motivation, has that big engine and with a much stronger team alongside, I’m sure he can win a Monument again. In the Classics, it’s not always important to be the strongest rider. Everybody knows Cancellara wasn’t the strongest in the 2014 Tour of Flanders, but he was the smartest and the most experienced one. Fabian wants to win again a big one-day race and he will be there, inspite of his age or the pressure.”

Cancellara will have help in the final of the Classics this year from new signing Gert Steegmans, who may make the difference between a win and a podium position with his experience. Demol also explained the other benfits Steegmans can have for the team.

“Gert Steegmans is one of the best riders in the peloton when it comes to positioning and I’m sure he will be very important for us, the team made a good move by signing him. Gert has raced Flanders and Roubaix on many occasions and will help Fabian, not in the deep final, but he will be very important in the first 200 kilometers of the race, where his role will be to protect Cancellara in the peloton. I wanted him since last year, but it wasn’t possible, because he still had a contract. Besides the Classics, Steegmans will be important to our young sprinters, but in the same time I’m sure he still has what it takes to win a race.”

fially, Demol picked Bob Jungels as the team’s surprise package of 2015, saying the man from Luxembourg can achieve some big results this season.

“He will make again a big step forward, is still young, much stronger than in the previous season and after being close a couple of times last year, I truly believe we will see him going big and scoring some impressive results.”