Trek Factory Racing is pleased to announce it has signed Haimar Zubeldia and Boy Van Poppel to one-year contract extensions.  Haimar Zubeldia finished five times in the top eight of the Tour de France.  The Spanish rider from the Basque Country brings a wealth of stage racing experience to the entire team.

“I’m very happy with this contract extension. Frankly, I couldn’t imagine myself racing for another team. This is my second family and renewing with Trek is all what I wanted,” Zubeldia said.

Thirty-eight-year old Zubeldia showed aggressive racing at the Vuelta of España, coming within reach of a stage victory on stage 15 and again in stage 18 where he finished second.

“Of course, I’m not the youngest anymore, I know that, but I believe I can still do meaningful work for the team. These last couple of days in the breakaway in the Vuelta were very nice, but the management of the team and I shook hands well before that," says Zubeldia. “I wasn’t at my usual level at the Tour de France due to a stomach virus and I asked the team to change my program and race the Vuelta. I didn’t want to ride to the season’s end with that bitter taste of the Tour in my mouth. I wanted to prove my value and show the team that they can count on me.”

General Manager Luca Guercilena:

“Haimar is a five-star pro. He has perfect awareness of his body and knows how he needs to train.  He has so much experience in stage racing, so it wasn’t a question if we had a spot for him in the team for 2016. He will be a key rider in our preparation for the Tour de France 2016.”

Zubeldia will enter his 19th season as a pro. Zubeldia:

“I always said I didn't want to sign a contract anticipating that it was my last one - that’s not how I want to do it, not how I see my retirement. It would make me lose my focus. I want to ride next year with the same attitude as always, being professional and enjoying what I do. So will it be my last season, I couldn’t tell you.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Boy Van Poppel, in addition to being an outstanding locomotive and lead-out man for TFR’s sprinters, has been propping up the Classics team since joining the team in 2014.

“I feel really good in this team and I am very happy to stay on board. The team has a lot of confidence in me and they know where my qualities lie. I have really taken pleasure in working for Fabian Cancellara in the Classics, aside from my lead-out for Danny (Van Poppel), Giacomo (Nizzolo) or Jasper (Stuyven). In my previous team, I rode the Classics also, but mostly to be part of the early breakaways. In Trek Factory Racing, I have discovered something that I like a lot, and that I’m good at,” Boy Van Poppel said.

Van Poppel’s 2015 season took a decisive turn in an ungodly edition of Ghent-Wevelgem when road dirt entered his eye and he had to fight a lasting eye infection for several weeks.

“I don’t know why, but that took a lot of energy out of me. I’ve been struggling to be back at my best since then. I am looking forward to the off-season now to push the reset button and prepare for 2016. I feel that I can still become a better rider.”

General Manager Luca Guercilena said the following about Van Poppel:

“Boy is a very valuable rider for our team. He has a key role in our sprint ambitions, of course, but he has also become a certitude in our Northern campaign. On both accounts, it’s because he’s very good at reading a race and positioning. He’s very loyal to the team and we’re happy to re-sign him.”