Jumbo-Visma have confirmed the signing of Rohan Dennis from Ineos Grenadiers for 2022, securing the Australian's services on a two-year contract.
Dennis, 31, joins Jumbo-Visma after two years with Ineos, having signed up with the British squad following an acrimonious split with his Bahrain-Merida team.
The two-time world time trial champion will leave one squad stacked with superstars to join another, riding alongside a fellow former world champion Tom Dumoulin, Belgian star Wout van Aert, and two-time Grand Tour winner Primož Roglič from next year.
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“I’m looking forward to the new challenges and I’m excited to be joining arguably one of the leading teams with R&D in the pro peloton," Dennis said on his transfer.
"Riding alongside the likes of Primož Roglič, Wout van Aert and Tom Dumoulin - again - is something I couldn’t refuse. Continuing to contribute to major Grand Tour wins with the team and taking some of my own chances at week-long tours is a major goal of mine.
"It’s a new chapter, but also a return to a part of my early years, being involved with the Rabobank continental team back in 2011. And also being back on Cervélo, the bike I rode as a neo-pro back in 2013. I would like to thank Ineos Grenadiers for the time I spent with them. It has been a great ride with a lot of amazing times and achievements, which I’m looking to continue at Team Jumbo-Visma.”
Since joining Ineos Grenadiers in 2020 Dennis has secured two wins, both time trials, including stage two of the Volta a Catalunya 2021 and the Prologue of the Tour de Romandie 2021. He also proved pivotal in delivering the team's victory at the Giro d'Italia in 2020, guiding eventual overall winner Tao Geoghegan Hart through the toughest mountain stages with some powerful displays.
Dennis finished third in this year's Tokyo Olympic Games time trial after missing out on selection for the Tour de France, taking bronze behind his future Jumbo-Visma team-mates Primož Roglič and Tom Dumoulin.
Jumbo-Visma sports director Merijn Zeeman said the Dutch squad will relish Dennis' abilities as a domestique in the Grand Tours, but will also allow him to chase potential victories himself. Dennis has taken stage victories in all three Grand Tours, but switched his focus to shorter stage races after a stint with BMC Racing in which he attempted to become an overall contender in three-week races.
“I have been talking to him for a few years now," Zeeman said.
"He is a dream asset for me, who will be a great support for our GC riders in particular, but who will also regularly be in a position to chase an overall victory himself”
“There are not many riders in the peloton who have his qualities. He is a real asset, which is very important in today’s top cycling. He is someone with a very big engine who can pull for kilometres and who can reduce the peloton uphill too. He also is capable of a great time trial in which he will often compete for the win.”
Dennis will next compete as part of a six-man Ineos squad at the Tour of Britain, which runs from Sunday, September 5 to Sunday, September 12.
Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.
An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).
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