Friday, 27 September 2019 - Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team is delighted to announce that Sonny Colbrelli and Damiano Caruso have extended their contracts with the team for the upcoming seasons.
"We're thrilled that Sonny Colbrelli and Damiano Caruso have signed new contracts with the team. Both riders are major contributors to the team and fit with our selfless team ethos. We have seen their dedication to helping the team achieve its goals, and for this reason, amongst others, the management is proud to make this announcement." – Team Bahrain Merida General Manager Brent Copeland says.
Colbrelli is one of the riders that has been part of the project since its birth and will ride for the team in 2020 and 2021. Colbrelli says: "When I signed my first contract, I was one of the first riders to believe in this project. We can say that we 'grew' together. With Team Bahrain Merida, I achieved my first WorldTour successes and had the opportunity to compete against the strongest riders. It's incredibly exciting to be part of the second chapter of this team with McLaren's arrival and the technology and expertise they will bring to the team".
The Italian sprinter has celebrated several prestigious successes with the team so far, including stages at Paris-Nice, Brabantse Pijl and the Coppa Bernocchi on his debut season. 2018 was even more successful with wins at Dubai Tour, Tour de Suisse, Gran Piemonte and a back-to-back at Coppa Bernocchi. In the current season, he has won a stage at Tour of Oman and rode a successful Deutschland Tour, taking a stage victory and the points classification.
"He's not only a powerful fast-man but also a classy one-day races rider. We have seen how his improvement and confidence has increased in the past few years. He has learned to take on the role of a true leader" - Brent Copeland adds.
"We are also delighted that Damiano Caruso will extend his contract with Team Bahrain Merida until 2022. Damiano joined us in 2019, bringing his true professionalism and dedication to the team. He is a proven performer with excellent climbing skills and a solid TT record. Damiano is a true team player and a great leader in the peloton. We're thrilled to have him for three more seasons". - Brent Copeland says.
Caruso showed his exceptional talent in supporting the team captains during this season but also fighting for stage wins as a leader. He took an outstanding 2nd place at the Giro d'Italia (2nd) and a hard-earned 5th place on the gruelling stage 18 of this year's Tour de France.
Caruso commented "I'm particularly pleased to extend my contract with Team Bahrain Merida. For such a young team to have attracted Rod Ellingworth and McLaren is incredibly impressive and motivating. I am very proud to be part of this project and hope to be one of the key contributors over the coming seasons".
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