New Zealander Logan Currie has signed a one-year contract at Lotto Dstny, discovering a continued pathway within the ProTeam ranks regardless of the announcement by residence crew Bolton Equities Black Spoke that it might wind down on the finish of 2023.
Currie made the transfer as much as ProTeam degree firstly of this season, in keeping with the New Zealand squad which he had raced with since 2021. Nevertheless, the crew final week introduced that it might not solely be unable to proceed on the ProTeam degree past its preliminary yr within the class, however could not go on as a Continental crew both as a result of an absence of sponsors.
That has left quite a few the 22-year-old’s teammates with out contracts for 2024, however Currie is now among the many handful which have confirmed they’ve discovered a brand new residence. The Belgian squad is searching for the rider from New Zealand to assist strengthen the crew throughout hilly terrain and in smaller stage races.
“I’m nonetheless very younger, however I contemplate myself as a GC rider and time trial specialist. I’m not a cobble or basic specialist,” stated Logan, who lived in Belgium the previous three years.
“I really like racing right here [Belgium], however I’m extra a rider for the GC and a time trial specialist. I wish to assist the crew in exhausting climbing races or chase the escapees in flat phases for our sprinters. I wish to assist the crew as a lot as doable and after I get the prospect to go for [my] personal end result, I’ll seize this chance with each arms.”
Currie has confirmed abilities within the race in opposition to the clock, having received a junior nationwide title in 2019 after which taking back-to-back U23 time trial gold medals at New Zealand nationals in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he earned the Oceania Continental Championships U23 time trial gold medal and was fourth at Worlds.
Not solely does Currie have GC ambitions, however the crew sees him as a promising rider to arrange sprinters like Arnaud De Lie in one-day races and search alternatives throughout one-week occasions. Final season he received the most effective younger rider classification at Worldwide Tour of Hellas and rolled robust into the second half of the yr with high 15 general at 2.Professional Tour of Denmark, taking the most effective younger rider title there as properly.
“Logan remains to be a really younger, however a promising rider. We don’t have a number of riders together with his profile and he’ll strengthen our crew within the smaller stage races and in races with a hilly parcours,” stated Sports activities Supervisor Kurt Van de Wouwer.
With the signing of Currie, the Lotto Dstny squad introduced its roster to 29 riders.
