Current Danish time trial champion Christopher Juul-Jensen will ride with Australian outfit ORICA-GreenEDGE for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Juul-Jensen will join the team from Tinkoff-Saxo where he has proved a crucial worker for the likes of Peter Sagan and Alberto Contador, including in the team’s Giro d’Italia victory earlier this year.
The 26-year-old said he is looking forward to being involved in the versatile ORICA-GreenEDGE roster.
“I’m very happy and excited to be joining ORICA-GreenEDGE for the coming two years,” Juul-Jensen said.
“ORICA-GreenEDGE has some of the most well respected, experienced and winning riders of the peloton as well as the biggest up and coming talent. To be part of such a group of riders is going to be an incredible experience.
“I want to help make a difference and have an impact wherever and whenever possible.”
Likewise, sport director Matt White is equally eager to utilise the Dane’s versatility in what will be his fifth professional season.
“Chris is a very very versatile rider,” White said. “This year he has worked incredibly well for the likes of Peter Sagan and Alberto Contador at the highest level of racing, particularly the Giro and the Classics.
“We will use him in a couple of different roles. He is going to bolster our Flemish Classics department. Jens Keukeleire has obviously been a great performer for us in that area so he will be a great support to him.
“And what Grand Tour he does, we will wait and see the routes, but he is a guy that is ready for the Tour de France. We are evolving over time into a team that rides for general classification and he has that experience of being part of a winning team. That’s a key reason why we see him as so valuable.
“I also really believe we are far from seeing him at his best so we want to develop and give him opportunities for himself too. That’s the key to our team - we give young riders opportunities.“
Along with Juul-Jensen’s qualities on the bike, it is also his qualities off the bike that make him such a perfect fit for the ORICA-GreenEDGE culture.
“I have always admired the team’s ability to win many races with many different riders whilst also having an incredible atmosphere surrounding the entire team,” he said. “I am sure it will be a unique squad to be a part of.
“It is obvious to see that the combination of professionalism, hard work and humour works well and it’s something I look forward to contributing to.”
White agrees.
“He is certainly going to feel at home in our team,” White said. “He is a funny guy and he knows where the on and off switch is.
“Team culture is crucial in our recruitment decisions and there is no question he will be a valuable inclusion in that.”
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Date of Birth: 6th July 1989 (26)
Nationality: Danish
Turned pro: 2012
Palmares:
- 2015 Danish time trial champion
- 2015 2nd Giro d’Italia – Stage 1 (TTT)
- Winning team member of Alberto Contador’s 2015 Giro d’Italia victory.
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