Sunweb signs promising German teen
Impressive 17-year-old is the latest young rider bypassing the U23 ranks and moving straight into the WorldTour.
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Cycling’s youth movement keeps growing strong.
Germany’s junior road race and time-trial champion Marco Brenner signed a four-year deal to join Team Sunweb for 2021, the team announced Wednesday. The announcement comes days after the team signed Lorena Wiebes to a four-year deal.
“Team Sunweb has a great track record of helping young talents to progress and I like that the team will give me time to develop and that we share the same goals for the future,” Brenner said. “The main goal is to make consistent steps and continually learn from everyone around me – this is the perfect environment for me to be able to do so. The team’s approach to 100 percent top sports is something that really appeals to me and I fully want to commit to it.”
The 17-year-old Brenner burst onto the cycling scene in 2019, and finished third in the junior time trial at the world championships in Harrogate.
“We see him as one of the biggest young talents in the peloton,” said Sunweb team boss Rudi Kemna. “Marco’s also very ambitious and driven, which fits well with the team’s environment.”
The signing is the latest in a wave of WorldTour teams mining the junior and U23 ranks to find the “next big thing.”
In April, the UAE Emirates team signed 17-year-old Juan Ayuso, Spain’s junior road race champion, to a five-year contract.
A number of young riders impressed last season, in particular Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, 20, who won the San Sebastian classic and took silver in the men’s time trial in Yorkshire. Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, 21, also finished third at the Vuelta a Espana.
