Stef Clement sings with Team LottoNL-Jumbo for 2017. The Dutchman is ready for a role as a helper for the overall riders of the team after two years with IAM Cycling. He signed for two years with the Dutch World Tour team.

“I heard in May that IAM Cycling was going to quit as a team after this season,” Stef Clement said. “At that moment, I was on a mountain with a broken collarbone, doing a training camp on altitude. I didn’t have a good spring and I didn’t have too much to count on in negotiations, but I had to look for a new team. I kept on working on myself since that moment. That’s why I went to IAM Cycling in the first place. To develop myself as a person and as a rider, and this is a good moment to return at the place where I want to be the most.”

Important factor

Sports Director Nico Verhoeven is delighted with Clement’s return. “He showed what he’s capable of in the Dauphiné, the Tour de France and the Arctic Race,” he added. “He’s racing on a high level and might be an important factor in our team for the grand tours. To support Steven Kruijswijk in the Giro d’Italia is going to be a target for him. We are becoming stronger with Clement and Van den Broeck.”

“I come to the team to help the overall competitors uphill,” Clement said. “I never experienced how it feels to go for a strong result in the general classification of a grand tour. Now, I think that I will be able to support our front men with more experience under my belt. I didn’t succeed in my aim to improve my time trial in Switzerland and while I was busy working on myself, Team LottoNL-Jumbo improved as well. They are the strongest team in time trials often. That was an eye-opener for me.”