Juan Pedro Lopez has extended his contract with Trek-Segafredo. The Spanish climber and the U.S.-registered WorldTour team are looking to build on his performance at the Giro d'Italia, where he wore the pink jersey for 10 days and finished 10th overall.

Lopez has yet to win a professional race, but in Italy in May he finished second on the fourth stage to Mount Etna and fought to keep the maglia rosa until stage 14 around Turin.

The 25-year-old Spaniard showed his mettle in the final week after the pressure and fatigue of a long pink race and also took the white jersey for best young rider.

Lopez showed his potential in Alberto Contador's development team and joined Trek-Segafredo as a stadium rider in 2019; he was under contract until 2023, but Trek-Segafredo extended his contract for another two years.

"Since joining Trek-Segafredo as a stadium rider, I have grown a lot as a person and as a rider," Lopez said.

"The environment the team has created is perfect for me and my journey, and it's where I want to stay. I really feel like this is where I belong. People always say that this team is like my family, and I think that's true.

"By extending my contract early, the team showed me that they trust me and that they believe in me just like I believe in myself. That's a very special feeling, and I want to prove over the next three years that it was worth it."

Lopez also competed in the Vuelta a España, but struggled to be competitive after an intense spring.

"The Giro d'Italia was of course special for me this year, but the Vuelta did not go as well as I expected or wanted on a personal performance level," he explained.

"But I really learned a lot in both races, and although for different reasons, they both motivated me to keep chasing that elusive victory. I want to prove that my team's faith in me is justified and that I too can be a winner."

In 2023 Trek-Segafredo will be led in the Classics by Mads Pedersen, Yasper Steiven, and Quinn Simmons, and in the Grand Tour by Bauke Mollema, Giulio Ciccone, and Lopez. Gianluca Brambilla and sprinter Matteo Moschetti will move to the new Q36.5 Pro team, while Simon Peraud is out of contract and expected to join Fabian Cancellara's Tudor Pro Cycling team.

Trek-Segafredo's new contingent includes Nathanael Tesfacion, a former drone hopper, UAE Tour stage winner Matthias Vacek, who has competed in Gazprom, and 20-year-old neo-pro with success in under-23 cyclo-cross and road racing, Tibau Nais.

Trek-Segafredo general manager Luca Guercilena believes that Lopez, who has consistently shown his potential over the past two years, deserves the team's backing for the next few years.

"Juanpe is a talented young player who I believe has earned our trust and commitment since he joined us as a stager about three years ago," Guercilena said.

"We have seen this year that he is moving forward step by step and remains willing to learn from the more experienced riders on the team.

"His performance [in the Giro] solidified what we had already discussed as a team: that we wanted to invest more in his career and extend his existing contract early. We really believe that Juanpe can fulfill the potential we see in him and we are confident that it won't be long before we see him win his first championship."[33