Dimitri Claeys will join Wanty-Groupe Gobert. The 28-year old from Flanders knew a very successful season with Veranda’s Willems this year.  The two-times Omloop Het Nieuwsblad U23 winner, joins Jean Francois Bourlart’s team for one season.
 
“The Flemish Spring Classics really appeal to me with the Tour of Flanders as the absolute dream race. I never got the chance to ride it and Wanty-Groupe Gobert always has the privilege to ride there. I hope I’ll have a role to play in those races next year,” the rider from Gent explains his decision.
 
Jean-François Bourlart, Wanty-Groupe Gobert’s general manager, is very happy to welcome Claeys to his team.
 
“Claeys has shown that he is one of the strongest riders of his generation on the cobbles. At the moment he is the number three on the individual Europe Tour ranking. The next step in his career is to discover the Classics and I am very happy he chose our team to do so.”
 
Claeys was part of a procontinental team before when he was with Netapp in 2011. Between 2012 and 2014 he was riding for smaller Belgian teams. With Veranda’s Willems he won no less than five races this year and impressively finished on the podium of semi-classics like Primus Classic Impanis, Ronde van Limburg and the GP Jef Scherens despite the fact he doesn’t call himself a sprinter.
 
“I was working a regular job next to cycling between 2012 and 2014 but still won my races. I wanted to try one last time to get everything out of my career because I really felt I had the level needed. I am very regular as a rider and get good results from February until the end of the season. Of course WorldTour races are a much higher level but I am not afraid. If you ride and train with better riders, like with Wanty-Groupe Gobert, you improve as well. I have only started to fully develop my potential in the last year and have some progress left to make. I am only 28, after all.”
 
After signing Thomas Degand, Robin Stenuit, Gaëtan Bille, Antoine Demoitié and Kenny Dehaes, Dimitri Clayes is the sixth new rider for Wanty-Groupe Gobert.
 
Marco Marcato, Roy Jans, Jérôme Baugnies, Kévin Van Melsen, Lander Seynaeve, Simone Antonini, Frederik Backaert and Tom Devriendt already had a contract for 2016.