Toms Skujins will remain at Lidl-Trek for the next two seasons after signing a contract extension with the team. The Latvian has been with the team since 2018, when he joined from Cannondale.
“I think every time we re-sign it seems to happen earlier and earlier because both parties have found a mutual respect and mutual liking,” Skujins, 32, said in a statement on Friday.
“The direction the team is going also makes me happy. We’re moving forward and progressing as a team. It would be hard to see myself in any jersey other than Lidl-Trek’s.”
Skujins enjoyed a fine start to the current campaign, animating Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as part of a high-calibre break and then placing second behind Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche despite a crash and two punctures. He later collected top 10 finishes at E3 Harelbeke and the Tour of Flanders.
“I think that every year I personally step up, but also the team does. I feel responsible to step up with it,” Skujins said. “It’s nice to pay back the confidence the team put in me many years ago now, to sign me in the first place, because actually when I signed my first contract I was between a rock and a hard place.
“I didn’t really have any other place to go, so it was really nice that the team gave me that opportunity. I think that every year I’ve paid that back that more and more, and I’ll keep doing that for another two years.”
Lidl-Trek manager Luca Guercilena welcomed the renewed agreement with “a rare type of rider.” Skujins’ versatility has extended to racing on gravel, while he toggles between the role of attacker and support rider across a range of terrains.
“If you were looking only at a results sheet, you might underestimate him, but when you see how much he gives to the team across all terrains, you quickly realize just how valuable he is,” Guercilena said.
“The fact that he continues to improve, even as the level of cycling rises, speaks volumes not only for his talent, but particularly his work ethic. Toms embodies the spirit of Lidl-Trek."
"He is capable of taking results himself, yet more often goes all in for his teammates. Lidl-Trek is all the better with him on board.”
Honestly though, could anyone have ever imagined me in a different jersey?!This is where I belong and this is where you'll see me for two more years! LFG! https://t.co/0SlHvI2HFmJune 14, 2024
