Team Giant-Alpecin and Team Liv-Plantur were presented to the media and guests today at the Italian Embassy in Berlin. Team Giant-Alpecin chose the capital of Germany, where the team’s WorldTour license is registered, as the location of the Team Launch for the second year in a row.
The Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Pietro Benassi, officially opened the presentation in a setting offering a strong association with the history of cycling. Italy has brought the world legendary riders and monumental races such as the Giro d’Italia and Milan–San Remo, as well as the passion of the tifosi and a commitment to extending that passion for cycling to new areas all over the world.
The 2016 lineups of the men’s and women’s teams were presented to the audience, along with the full roster of partners. Title partners Giant and Alpecin and current partner Sunweb have been joined by Renson, the trendsetting Belgian manufacturer of ventilation systems, sun shading systems and terrace covers, as a new key partner for 2016 and beyond.
Team Giant-Alpecin CEO Iwan Spekenbrink (NED) said: “This year we are continuing to work with a young group of riders who will further develop within our unique elite sports environment based on the ‘Keep Challenging’ approach and principles. Alongside this we will have an enhanced focus on promoting the regrowth of cycling in Germany through grassroots development aimed at both German youth and young talents in the sport. So today is also an important day for German cycling.”
In addition, the team announced the preparation of its development program, which will begin in 2017 in line with the UCI WorldTour reforms and which has the clear objective of becoming the leading and most innovative program in talent development. The program will enable the team to provide a complete grassroots-to-WorldTour structure, offering opportunities for the world’s biggest talents and also ensuring that the best German talents can develop into WorldTour riders.
Spekenbrink continued: “We must thank everyone present here today in Berlin for helping make this a special day in a perfect location, the Italian Embassy in Berlin. It is a great way to kick off our 2016 campaign, and we are once again hugely excited about the coming racing season.”
Team Giant-Alpecin is also pleased to announce that it has re-signed the talented Floortje Mackaij (NED), a key rider on the women’s team, Team Liv-Plantur. The two parties agreed to a commitment of four years, through the end of 2019. Team Liv-Plantur coach Hans Timmermans (NED) said: “Floortje joined the team two years ago, and we initiated a development process based on the long term. For us it is a logical decision to extend our commitment to work with one of the biggest talents out there. We consider her a product of our ‘Keep Challenging’ approach, and we are looking forward to continuing to contribute to her development.”
Mackaij said: “I am very happy to renew my contract. I feel very good at the team, where I have the opportunity to grow. Signing for a longer period gives me a lot of confidence. I’ve become stronger. I am still young and so is the team, and I hope we can continue to grow further as a team, too. I hope to show strong results in races that are comparable to last season’s victory at Gent-Wevelgem, and I want to focus on that, as it feels great to compete for the victory in such races. We’ve made a plan with the team, which gives me the structure I need.”