Tour de France stage winner joins GreenEDGE Cycling

The signing of Dutch cyclist Pieter Weening, a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia stage winner, to GreenEDGE Cycling has boosted the team’s prospects of being the first Australian team to gain a UCI World Tour licence.

Weening’s win at the Giro d’Italia came this year across the famous dirt roads of the Strade Bianche, and he also held the race leader’s pink jersey for four days, while his win at the Tour de France, the last by a Dutchman, came on the first day in the mountains in the 2005 edition.

GreenEDGE Cycling General Manager, Shayne Bannan, says the nature of Weening’s key victories shows his versatility and value to the team.

“Being able to win at the two biggest tours in the world doesn’t come by chance, particularly when you look at the quality of the victories across such difficult terrain,” said Bannan.

“Pieter brings great climbing qualities for our grand tour ambitions and also has plenty to offer in the one day classic, where we’ll be aiming to make a mark.

“A key factor in going after Pieter and getting him to sign with the team is he’s at a great point in his career. He’s been in the professional peloton for eight seasons yet is only 30 years of age. This is the perfect balance of experience while still being his prime.”

Having turned professional in 2004 and spending his entire career with one of the world’s biggest teams, Rabobank, Weening is looking forward to new opportunities.

“As a Dutchman it was a privilege for me to ride for my country’s biggest team and I want to thank Rabobank for the 12-years I had with them and the opportunities they gave me to develop as a rider,” Weening said.

“But it’s now time for the next stage in my career and joining GreenEDGE is a great new opportunity for me to help build a team and pursue my own ambitions.

“I’m also looking forward to being part of a team from Australia, which is one of the most exciting cycling countries in the world. They can’t be producing so many promising young cyclists without doing something right.”