Chris Froome is not the only player on the transfer market this summer. Jumbo Visma and Team Sunweb have been actively trying to strengthen their team for 2021 in recent weeks.
The most significant moves have concentrated on Sam Omen and Wilco Kelderman. They are said to be cutting their services from Team Sunweb in 2021, as their stage race nucleus will not be needed.
Team Sunweb is keenly aware of Romain Bardet, whose contract with AG2R La Mondiale ends this year. The Frenchman is close to signing with Team Sunweb and will bring Mickael Cherelle if terms are agreed.
AD.nl (open in new tab) reported Thursday that Oommen will join Jumbo Visma at the end of the season, and Cycling News has confirmed that the highly rated climber has signed a three-year contract and will link up with former teammate Tom Dumoulin.
Oomen had previously said that he supported Dumoulin's decision to leave Sunweb for Jumbo Visma during the 2019 season. Sunweb has grown frustrated with Oumen and believes he no longer fits their vision.
Oomen ended the 2019 season early by abandoning the Giro d'Italia and then underwent surgery on his iliac artery; he returned to competition at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var in February.
Jumbo Visma has been tracking Omen for years and is well aware of his ability to develop as a U23 athlete under Rabobank. The 24-year-old's departure is yet another loss for Sunweb, which saw Dumoulin join Jumbo-Visma in a shocking transfer in 2019.
Sunweb told Cycling News that Omen was not offered a contract extension at the end of 2019 or during this spring, but Cycling News has been told by several Dutch news organizations that Omen did indeed receive a residency offer, but for a cheaper price at Jumbo-Visma and a new We heard conflicting reports, reporting that he had decided to take up the challenge. Sunweb denies this.
However, the loss of Omen and Kelderman again raised questions about Sunweb's recruiting policies.
These two players were arguably the best GC riders on the team after Dumoulin's departure and could work well with Balde in the future, despite a poor 2019 season.
In a statement sent to Cycling News, a Sunweb spokesperson said: "Since last fall, in our various discussions with Kelderman and Omen, we had indicated that we would not make them an offer at this time. As a result, they are free to speak with other teams."
He said.
Omen and Kelderman are not the only departures from Sunweb; AD reported that bicycle brand Cervelo is likely to move to Jumbo Visma, which Cycling News also confirmed.
Bianchi has been supplying bikes to Jumbo-Visma since 2014, but their contract with Jumbo-Visma ends at the end of this season.25]
Jumbo-Visma has received interest from two other major bike manufacturers, but at the moment Cervelo is considered the leading bike brand for 2021.
Sunweb told Cyclingnews that Cervelo could supply bikes to the two teams in 2020, but that scenario seems unlikely. A Sunweb spokesperson told Cyclingnews, "We will make a decision soon on a technical partner for next year, whether it is Cervélo or another candidate."
Jumbo Visma welcomes Omen, but is prepared to lose Lawrence de Plus.
The 24-year-old climber, who has excelled in recent seasons, was dropped from the Tour de France squad earlier this week to make room for George Bennett and will instead compete in the Giro d'Italia.
According to Wielerflits (opens in new tab), De Plus is likely to move to Team Ineos on a three-year contract for 2021. According to the report, De Plus was initially eager to stay with Jumbo Visma, but the offer from Team Ineos was too good to turn down.
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