Gaetan Bille will join Wanty-Groupe Gobert in 2016. The rider from Wallonia, Belgium, enjoyed a particularly succesful season with Veranda’s Willems this year. 

“Wanty-Groupe Gobert is a very nice team that is capable of offering me a super race program. There was interest from other teams but with Wanty-Groupe Gobert I can ride the Ardennes Classics and that has my interest. The faith the team puts in me to obtain good results also weighed in on my decision to choose this team." 

The 27-year old won, among others, the Giro della Friuli this year (and therefore succeeded Simone Antonini as winner), a stage in the Tour of Portugal, and a wonderful third place in the overall classification of the Tour of Belgium. Bille currently sits eighth on the individual ranking of the Europe Tour. 

“That third place in the Tour of Belgium was my best result of the year. This season was already a great year but I think a better race program would allow me to do even better and to continue getting good results in 2016. I would love to take on a semi-classic like Brabantse Pijl for exemple." 

Sports director Jean-Marc Rossignon has known Bille for a long time and is very happy to welcome him to the Wanty-Groupe Gobert team.

“Gaëtan will be an important rider for our team. He is a great time triallist and easily gets over the hills, though not the high mountains. He could develop into a crucial rider for our ambitions in the stage races that include a time trial. Plus, he knows how to ride on cobbles and knows how to ride at the front in a big peloton. He could play a role in the (semi)-classics in both Flanders and the Ardennes," Rossignon explained.  

After signing Thomas Degand and Gaëtan Bille, the Wanty-Groupe Gobert team now has ten names confirmed for 2016: Marco Marcato, Roy Jans, Jérôme Baugnies, , Kévin Van Melsen, Lander Seynaeve, Simone Antonini, Frederik Backaert, Tom Devriendt plus Gaëtan Bille and Thomas Degand.