Jumbo-Visma keeps coveted Laporte on board with a new three-year contract | Cycling

May 17, 2023 at 11:00 Update: 9 minutes ago

Christophe Laporte extended his expiring contract with Jumbo-Visma by three years on Wednesday. The Dutch formation thus keeps the coveted Frenchman out of the hands of other interested teams.

Thirty-year-old Laporte, who is said to have been particularly interested in teams from his home country, has been racing for Jumbo-Visma since the beginning of 2022. He is an important asset in the classics and the grand tours.

In his debut season with Jumbo-Visma, Laporte won a stage in the Tour de France and a stage in Paris-Nice, among other things. Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen followed this year. In the Tour he is an important helper.

“In a year and a half he has really grown to the status of leader. In addition, he has a very important supporting role for Wout van Aert in the classics and for the classification riders in the grand tours,” says sports director Merijn Zeeman of Jumbo-Visma.

“We are convinced that he still has room for growth. There was a lot of competition from other teams that wanted to bring him in. But Christophe very consciously chose to stay longer because of who we are and how we work. I see that as a very nice compliment.”

Last month, Jumbo-Visma, which sees Jumbo drop out as main sponsor at the end of 2024, already made an important blow by signing Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard up to and including 2027.

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