After three years at a lower level, Maurits Lammertink returns to the World Tour. From January 1, he is under contract with the international team Katusha-Alpecin.

For Lammertink, the 2016 season had two faces. In June there was the euphoria of the victory in the Tour of Luxembourg. Shortly thereafter, he crashed hard in the Tour of Switzerland and once he was back, he had to end his season due to a rib fracture sustained at Paris-Tours.

"For me it was uncertain whether they were still interested," Lammertink told Wielerflits about his transfer to Katusha-Alpecin. "I'm very happy with this team and that they were keeping confidence in me.”

The Russian team which will have a Swiss license next season, has been marred by a few doping cases in the past. However, this did not affect the decision to leave at Roompot and move to the new team.

"In every team, that has happened in the past. Rabobank is the predecessor of LottoNL-Jumbo and we all know the stories from there. You would have nowhere to go. I am concerned about the present. They do a lot of anti-doping work and that's just nice," he said.

In 2017, Lammertink targets the Amstel Gold Race and he hopes to be selected for the Tour de France as he is on the long list. 

"I will get a free role in the Amstel Gold Race. I have indicated that I really want to win that race."