Ewan gets new leadout expert in Jacopo Guarnieri for two seasons - "I want to bring something extra to this team"

Lotto Soudal are currently battling to remain at World Tour level for the coming years, however they are making moves on the market to ensure they keep their flow of wins in the sprints high as Jacopo Guarnieri has been brought in to be a key leadout man for Caleb Ewan and Arnaud De Lie.

Team CEO John Lelangue argued that “when working with a sprint train you always have to keep looking for improvements. The work is never done. With Caleb Ewan we have one of the fastest sprinters of the peloton, but Arnaud De Lie has proven this year that he deserves to be surrounded by strong riders who know how to guide a sprinter too. Therefore, it is crucial for us to bring some extra experience and fast legs into our sprint train".

With the Australian failing to take a stage win at a Grand Tour this year, it has become apparent that Lotto Soudal needed to make changes in it's leadout as none of the traditional men were taken to the Tour de France to support him. Ewan has had a strong start to the season, but has since not been able to achieve the same results. Positioning has often been his problem, and the team are looking to fix that by hiring one of the best and most experienced leadout men in Guarnieri, who has for several years been a key lieutenant for Arnaud Démare.

“I was actually flattered by the interest of Lotto Dstny," the Italian said in a press release. "Which will be the name of the team from 2023 on. This is a team with a great history of sprinters and lead-out trains. The team is fully focused on winning bunch sprints and with Caleb Ewan and Arnaud De Lie there are two really fast guys for me to work for. I have had a good talk with Caleb Ewan already and I am looking forward to the next two seasons," he explained.

At 34 Guarnieri has proven to still be a very powerful rider, helping Démare to several stage wins at the recent Giro, and the Belgian team are hoping to replicate the same kind of results with his presence. “A lead-out is more than just power or luck, in my former teams I was responsible for the organization of the sprint train as well," he added. "A good feeling amongst all involved in the train is crucial. Of course, there are a lot of strong guys already, but I want to bring something extra to this team with my experience".