Wiebes and Parkhotel Valkenburg agree to part ways
World No. 1 will be free to join a new squad on June 1.
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Dutch national champion Lorena Wiebes and her team Parkhotel Valkenburg are splitting ways June 1.
A mutual agreement to break her contract scheduled to run into 2021 comes after Wiebes, 21, was already trying to move teams over last winter. In a statement released Sunday, team manager Esra Tromp said the organization was proud to help develop Wiebes into one of the top young riders in the peloton.
“Although it is unfortunate to see a rider leave after many successes together, if the match is not there anymore, it is time to move on. We are thankful for the years with Loren and we wish her all the best for the future,” Tromp said. “We’re proud to have had Lorena in the team the past few years. As a junior we already saw that she had the possibilities to grow into one of the top riders in women’s cycling. We are extremely proud that our organization and environment was the place where that could actually happen.”
Wiebes turned pro with the team in 2018, and quickly left an impression, winning four races and hitting many podiums. She confirmed her quality in a breakout 2019 campaign, winning 16 times, including the Prudential RideLondon Classique as well as the Dutch national road title ahead of Marianne Vos and Amy Pieters. She won once in 2020 before racing ceased.
It’s not sure where she will go, but it’s possible a deal is already in the making. Despite concerns about the impact of coronavirus virus, there would be several teams interested in signing Wiebes, who ended the 2019 season ranked No. 1 in the world.