Team DSM suffer another loss as Alpecin-Deceuninck snatch Soren Kragh Andersen

Alpecin-Deceuninck have announced the signing of four riders this morning, a huge move in the transfer season with riders that will follow the team's current mentality of focusing in the classics and the sprints: Soren Kragh Andersen.

This was a move that had been rumoured in the last few weeks and has now been confirmed by the Belgian team who are bolstering their lineup ahead of their World Tour promotion. Andersen, 27, has been a part of the Team DSM structure since 2016 and has become one of the peloton's most successful rouleurs, with wins at the Tour de France, Paris-Nice, Tour de Suisse, BinkBank Tour, Paris-Tours and others.

Despite his lack of a true specialization, the Dane has managed to still become a very successful rider and one of the team's leaders in the last few years - specially after taking two solo stage wins at the 2020 Tour de France. Since the ending of that year though, he has not taken a win, although he's been close on some occasions.

Earlier this year he put in a destructive attack on the Poggio at Milano-Sanremo, but finished seventh as the attacks on the climb didn't prove successful. he's finished fifth at Gent-Wevelgem and third at the fourth stage of the Tour de Suisse before he abandoned with Covid-19 - which ended up being his most recent concluded race day.

Ever since Andersen has returned to competition, but did not complete the Clasica San Sebastian. His Covid stint saw him miss the selection for the Tour de France, and despite being one of the team's leaders, his schedule for the final part of the season is still largely unknown.

His move into Alpecin-Deceuninck fits with the team's mentality of racing for stage wins in the World Tour stage-races, aswell as putting emphasis on the cobbled and hilly classics.