John Degenkolb, winner of last year's Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, will take the place of Fabian Cancellara in the Classics riding for Trek-Segafredo in 2017, according an insider.
The German rides with home WorldTour team Giant-Alpecin currently. Cycling Weekly learned from an source with knowledge of the situation that Degenkolb was shopping for a new team and has now stopped negotiating. Neither Giant-Alpecin nor Etixx-Quick Step were able to secure his 2017 signature.
German professional continental team Bora-Argon 18 considered signing him in its push for the WorldTour, but manager Ralph Denk ruled out that possibility today. He said, “He’s not riding with us, it’s not possible for 2017.”
Trek-Segafredo need a rider to replace Classics star Cancellara. The Swiss, winner of three editions of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, retires at the end of this season.
John Degenkolb's Giant Propel from the 2015 Tour de France
The American WorldTour team are unable to confirm Degenkolb's transfer until August 1, as per the UCI rules regarding transfers, but in this period from the Giro d'Italia to the Tour de France in July, agents are shopping their cyclists.
"We are looking closely at the market with attention because we have to have a competitive team for 2017," the team's general manager, Luca Guercilena said.
"We need to look at what's possible and give it time. [Degenkolb is] strong and will be good for the classics, he'd be important for any team."
Etixx-Quick Step reportedly wanted Degenkolb to reinforce their Classics team with Tom Boonen nearing the end of his career. They could still sign Peter Sagan, who has not signed for Astana despite reports otherwise on Tuesday.
Without Degenkolb, Giant-Alpecin can focus completely on Tom Dumoulin for the Grand Tours in 2017. They will also have more money in its budget available to sign another star.
Degenkolb is still struggling to come up to full speed after being hit head on by a car, along with five of his team-mates, during a training ride in Spain this January.
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
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