Team Giant-Alpecin is pleased to announce that Sindre Skjøstad Lunke (NOR) has signed a two-year contract and will ride for the team through 2017. The 22-year-old Skjøstad Lunke joins from the Norwegian continental squad Team Joker.

Skjøstad Lunke has shown his talent in demanding races, and his results include 7th in the Tour de l’Avenir in 2015 and 11th in 2014. He is the second top-10 Tour de l’Avenir finisher the team has signed this year, after Sam Oomen (NED).

“Sindre is a climber who has proven two years in a row that he can perform strongly in the mountains,” said Team Giant-Alpecin coach Marc Reef. “We have a plan to help him develop in a broad way, but with an initial focus on his specialty, climbing. We believe he has the mental and physical ability to do well in difficult climbing races in the future, but in the meantime he will also play a role supporting our GC riders, Warren Barguil and Tom Dumoulin.” 

“Joining Team Giant-Alpecin and moving up to the highest level of the sport is a big step for me and I am really happy to get this chance," said Skjøstad Lunke. "It will be hard, of course, but very exciting as well. I hope to learn a lot from the more experienced riders, and I’m looking forward to being guided by the team’s coaches and drawing on their experience in developing riders as I take the next steps in my own progression. I’m really looking forward to competing in the harder stage races. Now I’m best in in the mountains, especially long climbs, but I hope to improve on the flats and in the TT in order to become a GC rider in the future."