Juan Pedro López extends with Trek-Segafredo through 2025
This article originally appeared on Velo News
After a breakthrough season that saw him spend 10 days in the Giro d'Italia's pink jersey, Juan Pedro Lopez has extended his contract with Trek-Segafredo through 2025.
After climbing the cycling ranks in Alberto Contador's Continental team, Lopez joined Trek-Segafredo as a stagiaire in 2019.
He already had a contract with the team for next year and this new deal sees him add at least two more years to his tenure.
"Since I first joined Trek-Segafredo as a stagiaire in 2019, I have grown so much as person and as a rider," Lopez said. "I feel like the environment the team has created has been perfect for me and my journey and it continues to be the place where I want to be. It really feels like I have found myself at home here. People always say it, but I really believe it's true that this team is like my family.
"By extending my contract early, Luca and the Team are really showing that they trust me and that they believe in me the way I believe in myself," continued Lopez. "That is a super special feeling and I really want to be able to show that it was worth it over the next three years now."
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Never give up: From pink to white, Juan Pedro Lopez fought every kilometer of the Giro d'Italia
Juanpe Lopez and his valiant Giro d'Italia pink jersey defense comes to a close: 'I gave everything'
Lopez had shown promise as a grand tour general classification rider prior to this season with 13th overall at the 2021 Vuelta a Espana. However, the Giro d'Italia this season went far better than expected after he picked up the maglia rosa on the stage 4 summit finish on Mount Etna.
He held onto the jersey all the way into the penultimate weekend after relinquishing it to Richard Carapaz in a dramatic stage in Turin. He would go on to win the youth classification and finish 10th overall.
"While the Giro d'Italia was, of course, very special for me this year, the Vuelta didn't go how I expected, or wanted, on a personal performance level," explained Lopez. "However, I really learned so much at both races, and for different reasons both have only motivated me more to keep chasing that elusive victory. I really want to be able to show the team that their faith in me is justified and that I can also be a winner."
Lopez was unable to back up his Giro d'Italia performance at the Vuelta a Espana after failing to contest the GC fight right from the start.
The team believes that he can continue to grow as a grand tour rider and that he has plenty of potential as his career progresses.
"Juanpe is a talented young rider who I believe has earned our trust and commitment since joining us as a stagiaire around three years ago," team boss Luca Guercilena said. "We saw this year that he is making steps forward and he continues to be very willing to learn from the more experienced riders on the team.
"Of course, most notably in 2022, he wore the maglia rosa for 10 days, finished 10th overall, and took home the best young rider's jersey at the Giro d'Italia. This performance really cemented what we, as a team, had been discussing already - that we wanted to invest further in his career and extend his existing contract early. We really believe that Juanpe is capable of fulfilling the potential we see in him, and I am confident that it won't be long until we see him secure that first win."
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