Olympic medalist Jolien D’Hoore extends with Boels-Dolmans for one year

Olympic champion Jolien D’Hoore has extended her contract with the current Boels-Dolmans team by one year, while ten-time road national champion Christine Majerus, from Luxembourg, has extended her contract by two years.

The two will continue to race with Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen, European champion Amy Pieters, and former world champion Chantal Blaak — all of whom have previously extended their contracts with the Dutch-registered team which will become SD Worx in 2021.

The 30-year-old D’Hoore, from Ghent, Belgium, has already achieved 46 women’s WorldTour wins, but was sidelined in 2019, recovering from multiple injuries.

“Last year, Jolien suffered a broken collarbone and elbow, and this season she has not been able to prove herself yet because of the coronavirus pandemic. I know for sure that she is eager to excel next year in the colors of our main sponsor, SD Worx from Belgium. I am expecting a number of great wins from her on the road. She will focus on the Flemish events in the spring, and after April she will start working towards the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” said Boels-Dolmans sporting director Danny Stam.

“I didn’t hesitate when the team offered me a new contract,” D’Hoore says. “Even though I’m the only Belgian in this Dutch team, I have always felt right at home. I am proud that SD Worx will be our new main sponsor in the coming years. It is a large, well-known company that has Belgian roots like me. As a Belgian cyclist, I am hoping to put this sponsor in the spotlight. After the setbacks of 2019, I’m preparing to put in a good performance in the second half of 2020. I hope the races that were postponed due to the coronavirus can still go ahead this year. Of course, I’m now focusing on the Flemish events. They’re where I’m at my best. The classics feel like home to me.”

Jolien D’Hoore won the bronze medal in the track omnium at the 2016 Olympic Games. Racing with Lotte Kopecky in the madison, D’Hoore has also been very successful, winning the European championships in 2016, and world championships the following year in the two-woman event.

“Now that the short, explosive parts have been removed from omnium racing, D’Hoore stands a very good chance of securing a medal. It has made it easier to transition from road racing to the track,” explains Stam.

D’Hoore has her sights set on the madison. “My chances of a medal are greatest in the madison, so that discipline is my absolute priority. At the Olympics, we will see who is the strongest at that particular time – Lotte or myself – to compete in the omnium,” said the Dutch rider.

Via a communication from the team, Stam has indicated he’s also pleased to retain the 33-year-old Christine Majerus.

“Christine has been an invaluable asset to the team since 2014. She is an excellent team player and a true professional who is always willing to support others. And when she’s in a situation where she has a chance of winning, she’ll make that happen, too. Her victory at the Boels Ladies Tour last year is a perfect example of this. There’s also the fact that every winter, she finishes as one of the best in a large number of cyclo-cross events.”