John Degenkolb has insisted that his departure from Trek-Segafredo had nothing to do with his omission from their 2019 Tour de France squad.
The German had ridden six straight French Grand Tours since his debut in 2013 until he was left out this year, as the team took home four wins courtesy of Thomas De Gendt and Caleb Ewan.
After three years at Trek, Degenkolb has signed with Lotto-Soudal for the 2020 season. What awaits him is not yet known, however, and he says he isn't thinking about whether he will ride the Tour next year as the Belgian outfit start to make rough plans for the season ahead.
>>> Enrico Gasparotto changes national allegiance from Italy to Switzerland
"It's not like you're looking for another team if you're not taken to the Tour, which was definitely not the reason why I left the team," Degenkolb told Radsport News.
"We had the first team meeting and talked roughly about the direction it will take - especially for the Classics - we want to take the team to a higher level and get more results than in the past."
Although Lotto-Soudal are losing Tiesj Benoot to Sunweb, the signing of Degenkolb and 2019 Paris-Roubaix winner Philippe Gilbert will give them a great chance of taking home a number of big wins in the early season.
The duo will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with in the Classics, having won seven Monuments between them. Degenkolb says when they both knew they were heading to Lotto-Soudal they had time in races to start building a relationship.
"It was already clear during the Vuelta that we would both switch to Lotto-Soudal and we already had one or two opportunities to talk, we get along well," Degenkolb said.
"There will be a lot of overlaps in the spring and we will be traveling together - even in winter, to create a certain microstructure in the team."
Degenkolb's schedule has not yet been set, although it is likely he will target at least one of the spring Classics, with Tim Wellens and Caleb Ewan further options alongside Gilbert, for the Belgian squad to turn to.
-
-
Jeopardy, drama and the antidote to archaism: GB riders give their verdict on mixed relay TT
What do they like about the odd one out of the World Championships? And what would they change, if anything, about the event?
By Jonny Long •
-
Tony Martin: 'Twice I was lying in the ambulance, the dad of two daughters, you start questioning if it’s really worth it'
In his last ever race, the German won gold in the Worlds mixed relay TT and afterwards reflected on a glittering career
By Jonny Long •
-
'In my own country, I'm not part of the team': Philippe Gilbert and Greg Van Avermaet not selected for home World Championships
There were a few surprise names left off the list for the Flanders 2021 Worlds
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Chris Froome and Philippe Gilbert save fan who fell down ravine on Tour de France stage 17
The incident occurred on the descent of the Col du Portet as the riders made their way back to the buses
By Jonny Long •
-
Caleb Ewan out of Tour de France 2021 with collarbone fracture
The Australian crashed in the final stretch of stage three, bringing down Peter Sagan with him
By Richard Windsor •
-
Lotto-Soudal rider sent off course as he led solo in final kilometre at Ronde van Limburg
Brent Van Moer looked in with a chance of taking his first pro victory before he as sent off course
By Richard Windsor •
-
Lotto-Soudal down to just two riders at the Giro d'Italia 2021 after Thomas De Gendt abandons
The team have struggled with injuries since Caleb Ewan left the race
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Giro d’Italia 2021: Caleb Ewan says stage win a relief as he targets victory in all three Grand Tours in a single season
The Australian sprinter delivered another remarkable sprint
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Caleb Ewan fires at the final moment to win stage five of the Giro d'Italia 2021
The Australian won the day as crashes affected the GC race
By Alex Ballinger •
-
Philippe Gilbert says he'll retire at the end of the 2022 season
The Belgian says at some point there is more to life than cycling
By Jonny Long •
