Louis Vervaeke has prolonged his current agreement with Lotto Soudal until 2017. The 21-year-old climber signed a pro contract with the team in July 2014 and this year he completed his first full season as a professional cyclist. In his début year, Vervaee got a lot of bad luck and crashes to deal with. With this contract extension, Lotto Soudal shows its confidence in his capacities as a rider.

“I’m very happy that the team took the initiative to put my current contract which ends in 2016, on the table and to prolong it until 2017. It’s a sign of confidence and this gives me extra motivation to start the winter period.

"I would have liked to have another kind of début year. Due to crashes and bad luck, I couldn’t start the races in an optimal condition. Personally, this was very difficult because I like to perform well in every race. In total I crashed seven times, one crash more severe than the other. During my first stage race of the season, Ruta Del Sol, I was involved in the massive crash during the first stage. I had a concussion and had to put a stop to my training for some time. In the next stage race, Volta a Catalunya, a new crash forced me to withdraw the race.

“Mentally, it isn’t easy to process all these misfortunes. Due to the crashes, I couldn’t build up to a certain period as I wanted. During the whole season, I had to search for the good shape and also in my first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia, it didn’t go as I wanted. Because of my failed spring period, I started the Giro without the desired shape and that was frustrating. In my U23 period, I proved that the stage races suit me perfectly. Due to the fact that my condition wasn’t optimal, I couldn’t show my skills and because of this, the Giro was a long martyrdom. When I became ill during the sixteenth stage, I had to withdraw, unfortunately.

“This year was very instructive mentally and I also learnt a lot about racing with the pros. I got to know my limits and learnt things that could help me in the future. Also the acquaintance with the pro peloton and the team staff went fluently. My contract extension is an example of how the team has confidence and believes in my capacities. Next year, my focus will go to the stage races and less to the Ardennes classics. We still need to discuss the details of my program, but it is certain that my future lies in the stage races. If the bad luck stays away next season, then I hope to show what I’m really capable of.”