Marc Hirschi leaves Team DSM with immediate effect
The Swiss rider had an amazing 2020 with Team Sunweb taking some huge wins
Swiss rider Marc Hirschi has had his contract with Team DSM terminated with immediate effect, the team has announced. The 22-year-old leaves his contract with the former Sunweb squad a year early to join a yet to be known team for 2021, in a hugely surprising move.
He is being strongly linked with UAE Team Emirates by numerous reports, where he'd join the 2020 Tour de France Tadej Pogačar in the team's line-up, as well as their other new signings for 2021 Matteo Trentin and Rafał Majka.
Hirschi won La Flèche Wallonne along with two stages of the Tour de France in 2020, as well as the Tour's most combative rider award and third place at the World Championships road race.
In a team statement, Team DSM said: "Team DSM has reached a settlement agreement with their rider Marc Hirschi to terminate their present employment before the original end date of 31 December 2021. It has been agreed that the agreement will be terminated with immediate effect and that no further comments will be made.
"Marc Hirschi experienced in 2020 a breakthrough season with some amazing highlights. Hirschi and the team brought home some great wins; a stage in the Tour de France and Fleche Wallonne. An exciting 2nd place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a podium finish at the Road World Championships (3rd) were a further display of the great season which youngster Hirschi experienced in 2020.
"Team DSM wishes Marc Hirschi all the best for the continuation of his career and expresses its gratitude for what Marc Hirschi has contributed to the team."
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Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.
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