Luke Rowe extends contract with Team Sky
The team have announced another contract signing amidst the takeover of their parent company
Luke Rowe has extended his contract with Team Sky
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
Luke Rowe has extended his contract with Team Sky through to 2021, which will take him to a decade spent with the team.
The 28-year-old turned pro with Sky in 2012 and has picked up top-10 finishes in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Rowe’s contract is the latest signing news from Team Sky announced amidst the takeover of parent company Sky plc.
Welshman Rowe said: “I’ve been with Sky since the start of my career and I really feel a part of the furniture here.
“It’s been seven years and this deal will take me through to 10 years with Team Sky, so it was an easy decision. This is home.”
Sky said Rowe will continue to focus on the Classics in 2019 before returning to a support role at the Grand Tours.
Rowe suffered a horrific leg break in 2017 after jumping into shallow water while rafting during his brother’s stag party in the Czech Republic.
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Despite fears about how the injury would affect his career, Rowe made his return this season and was selected to ride in support of Geraint Thomas at the Tour de France.
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He said: “The team backed me straight away after my injury, whereas some teams would have turned their back.
“They helped me tackle the injury head on and looked after me every step of the way.
“If I’d have been out of contract one year earlier I’d have been in a mess. I had a year to prove myself again and come back – to show it hadn’t affected me and that I could reach the level I was at before.
“I was so fortunate to be in this team when I suffered such a bad injury.
“Sometimes the stars just align and everything works out.”
Rowe has recently become a dad after the birth of his son Oliver in the last month.
Sky said the Classics specialist is relishing fatherhood and hopes to act as a father figure to the next generation of riders.
He said: “It gives me that extra bit of motivation and inspiration to go out training and go racing – to be the best I can be. I want to make him proud.
“And hopefully with the younger guys that’s the type of thing that will be part of my role going forward – going to a race with a bunch of young lads, rallying the troops, and doing the business.”
Team Sky’s parent company, Sky plc, will be taken over by US communication giant Comcast after a bidding war against Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox.
The takeover has sparked speculation about the future of Team Sky, compounded by the departure of Sky plc chairman James Murdoch, who was a key supporter of the cycling team.
But insiders say they are confident about the future of the team.
Team Sky recently announced the long-term signing of Colombian star Egan Bernal, which sources say is a strong sign of the team’s future.
On Bernal’s stand-out Tour of California victory, Rowe said: “Egan had been incredible before but that was his breakthrough ride, so to be a part of that was pretty special.
“We’ve got [Chris] Froomey and G [Thomas] who are Grand Tour winners and will be looking to do that for the next few years, but then you look to the likes of Egan – he’s signed a long contract and within that time he could win a Grand Tour.
“I’m excited to work alongside him.”
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.