The 26-year-old Norwegian talent will bolster our Classics squad through 2023
Trek-Segafredo is happy to welcome Markus Hoelgaard to the Team on a two-year deal. Hoelgaard hails from Stavanger, Norway, where he has just finished the Tour of Norway in 4th position and top-10 finishes in every stage.
Hoelgaard currently races for the Pro Tour team Uno-X and is keen to have the chance to ride some of the biggest one-day races as he moves into the WorldTour. The Norwegian rider and his Uno-X team made their presence known early in the season with aggressive racing in the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, which earned Markus 8th place in a tough edition.
Hoelgaard counts two wins on his palmarès: he took his first professional victory in 2019 in the final stage of the Arctic Race of Norway and followed up with the first stage of the following edition two years later, held just a few weeks ago. The new Trek-Segafredo signing will be enlisted to support our Classics leaders and give us another card to play, all while developing towards his full potential.
Markus Hoelgaard: “I’m obviously very happy about it; it’s a team that I have always enjoyed watching race. Trek-Segafredo always races aggressively, and it looks like a really nice team to be a part of that. From what I hear, everyone talks about this Team as a friendly environment and a group of nice guys.
“My main role will be in the Classics and be a part of the group that they have. Hopefully, I can help the Team to win some monuments and big races.
“I am convinced that we will achieve great things together, and I am ready to learn as much as possible from the more experienced guys in the Team.
“I’m not the youngest, but I still have a lot more to learn. I think I can learn a lot in an environment like this with strong riders who have won some of the biggest races in the world. I’ve never ridden the biggest Classics like Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders, and I’m really looking forward to those races.”
Luca Guercilena, General Manager: “The signing of Markus is another step towards building up our Classics squad, something that we have focused a lot of attention on in recent years. Markus has the characteristics of a good Classics rider – most importantly, he is very strong on the climbs that are typical of the northern Classics.
“Also, he isn’t afraid to take a risk and race aggressively, which paid off for him recently at the Arctic Race of Norway. Markus has been noticeably improving over the last few years, and we aim to support his development as he takes the next step into the WorldTour.”
