Development Team Sunweb’s Nils Eekhoff and Martin Salmon are set to join the team’s WorldTour program as stagiaires for the remainder of the 2019 season. 21-year-old Marten Kooistra also makes the step up for the rest of the year, after an impressive display of strength during the past four seasons riding for SEG Racing Academy.
After being with Team Sunweb’s Development program since it’s inception in 2017, Nils Eekhoff has had an array of strong performances, most notably his 2017 Paris-Roubaix win. Now his second year as a stagiaire, he looks forward to taking another step in his development.
“I had a great experience as a stagiaire last year and did some really nice races,” said Eekhoff. “I’m looking forward to another year of learning from the pros. I start as a stagiaire one year stronger and with more experience, and I’m excited to be an added value to the team.”
Martin Salmon has been a key support rider for Development Team Sunweb and was part of the squad that brought Max Kanter two German national road race wins, and kept the victory in the team with Leon Heinschke this year.
“I‘m delighted at this opportunity to race at the highest level and am enormously grateful that the team has stood by me through all the ups and downs I have had,” said Salmon. “I hope and endeavour to repay them in full, by giving my absolute best effort as I race on the WorldTour program for the rest of this year.”
Marten Kooistra has enjoyed various successes on the bike over recent years with standout performances such as a win at the U23 Paris-Tours, 2nd in the GC at Olympia’s Tour and a stage win. This stagiaire role furthers his development as a rider with a lot of potential.
“I’m really looking forward to joining Team Sunweb as a stagiaire,” said Kooistra. “It’s a nice opportunity to race on a higher level and get to know the team and how they work better. I’m really motivated for the change – it’s a great chance for me to show myself.”
