Norwegian rider names Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix as big goals
Double Tour de France stage winner Edvald Boasson Hagen’s successful 2011 season has earned the 24 year old a big vote of confidence from the Sky Procycling team, who today announced that they had negotiated a new three year contract for him.
The Norwegian has already spent two years with the team and had one year left of his previous contract to run. However that has been torn up and he will now stay on board until at least the end of 2014.
He’s regarded as one of the most talented of the young riders in the peloton and has, in addition to his Tour wins, taken the Eneco Tour in 2009 and 2011, the Tour of Britain plus Gent Wevelgem (2009), the Vattenfall Cyclassics plus five consecutive national time trial titles.
“The Classics are going to be my main focus for the next few seasons,” said Boasson Hagen, laying out his main priorities. “I would love to win a race like Milan-San Remo or Paris-Roubaix and I’ll be working hard to try and achieve those goals.”
That one day focus doesn’t mean that he will take a one dimensional approach, though. He hints that he won’t limit himself to those races, but will have many other targets. “There will be plenty of other opportunities to show what I can do in the next three years,” he added. “And when I’m not going for wins myself I will be helping my team-mates out as much as I can.”
His strong early results plus young age means that many are predicting a very bright future; as Sky team principal Dave Brailsford notes, it’s still not clear how far he can go. Even if he now names the Classics as his big goal, it’s likely he could do more than that.
“Edvald is widely recognised as one of the most exciting talents in the pro peloton and we are delighted that he has chosen to stay with Team Sky for another three seasons,” said Brailsford.
“No-one quite knows yet where his true limits lie and we will continue to work tirelessly to support him to fulfil his potential.”
Fitting in:
Results and potential aside, part of the reason for the extension is because he syncs well with the other riders and staff. He’s a popular team-mate, has a relaxed personality and is someone who will knuckle down for others when required.
“Not only is Edvald a huge talent on the bike, he matches that with his professionalism off it,” Brailsford points out. “He’s a pleasure to work with and a fantastic ambassador for both Team Sky and the Norwegian national team.”
The rider emphasised that he too is happy, saying that he believes the team has helped him develop a lot over the past two years and will continue to do so in the future.