Lammertink joins LottoNL-Jumbo, internship Castelijns
Steven Lammertink will ride for Team LottoNL-Jumbo during the upcoming two years. The 21-year-old time trial specialist will finish this season with the team as a trainee and sign a contract afterwards. Twan Castelijns will finish this season as a trainee with the team, as well.
“I’ve had my first meeting with the team six weeks ago,” explained Lammertink, who rode for SEG Racing. “After that meeting, it became clear that they were going to make me an offer. It’s important for me to start my professional career in a Dutch team because I’m quite young. So it'll be important that the team is planning with me.
“Team LottoNL-Jumbo wants to work with my time trial qualities. That’s my specialty, and I want to develop that. They’re paying much attention to the time trial, which you could see in the Tour de France. I want to show myself in the time trials and I’m going to try to force a place in the team for the spring classics.”
Versatile
“Steven Lammertink is an exceptional time trial rider,” Sports Director Nico Verhoeven added. “That’s a quality we pay much attention to. It will be interesting for us to use Lammertink in the smaller stage races and in the sprint lead-outs. He is versatile.”
Lammertink is the two times Dutch time trial champion under 23 and the winner of the Tour de Berlin. He is going to make his debut with the team in the Tour du Poitou Charentes. Besides his internship with Team LottoNL-Jumbo, he aims for the European and World time trial championships under 23. Twan Castelijns will participate in the Prudential Ride London and the Tour de l’Ain. “Twan Castelijns showed himself in the top Dutch competitions,” Verhoeven continued. “He has won races with tough profiles in Limburg. He also won the Camerig uphill time trial.”
