Durbridge, Meyer among seven Australians renewing with Mitchelton-Scott
Just a few days after announcing contract renewals for multiple Australian members of their women’s team, Mitchelton-Scott announced the contract renewal of seven Australians for the men’s team on Monday, bringing the total of Australians on the men’s squad team to 11 for 2021.
As announced on Monday, Luke Durbridge will start his 10th season with the Australian team. The versatile rider has been a vital part of both the Grand Tour teams and the Classics squads over the years.
“Next year will be my 10 years as a professional and I just can’t believe it. It’s gone by so quick and I couldn’t have been happier to have made it on this team. When I first became pro it was the first year of GreenEDGE Cycling and I’ve seen this team grow and evolve over these past 10 years and it’s been a really amazing journey for me to see the team become what it is today.”
Robert Stannard, who scored three top ten places in the Vuelta, his first Grand Tour, signed on for another two years.
“This year I’ve been in so many finales, been in the front of the race, had the team support me, and even been on the podium a few times. This gives me a lot of confidence and even closer goals to set and focus on, ” Stannard said.
“There’s still plenty of room to grow and I think I’m heading down the right path. For me the biggest learning curves have been in race nutrition, race tactics, bunch positioning, and getting to understand myself better as a racer. But also challenges have been living in Europe independently and creating a great environment for myself to live and train.
“The next step is the top of the podium. I want to really show what I am capable of and become a key rider in the team. Here I have the support, the belief and the resources to do that.”
Australian road race champion and multiple track world champion Cameron Meyer added another two years to his stay with the Australian team. He hopes to race in Tokyo in 2021 but also sees himself as a mentor and domestique within Mitchelton-Scott.
“I really enjoy my role within the team and racing with our younger riders. We have some fantastic leaders for the big races and exciting young talents which I love to support and use my experience to help the team achieve success.”
The other Australian riders who all signed a two-year contract extension are: Callum Scotson, Nick Schultz, Damien Howson, and Alex Edmondson. Together with Kaden Groves, Lucas Hamilton, Michael Hepburn and new signing Michael Matthews, Mitchelton-Scott has 11 Australian riders signed for 2021.
Michael Matthews, Amund Grondahl Jansen, Tanel Kangert and Kevin Colleoni are the four new signings for 2021 so far. The team now has 23 riders signed for next season.
On Friday, Mitchelton-Scott announced that it had secured the Australian “core” of its women’s lineup as well, renewing Grace Brown, Sarah Roy, Jess Allen, and Lucy Kennedy. Alongside Amanda Spratt, they bring the count of Australian women on the team next year to five.
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