BMC Racing Team (United States) - Continuum Sports’ classics team will be bolstered by the addition of Gijs Van Hoecke to the 2019 roster, a move that will see the 26-year-old Belgian act as a key support rider for Greg Van Avermaet.

General Manager Jim Ochowicz highlighted Van Hoecke’s classics experience as well as his ability to develop further.

“Gijs Van Hoecke in an excellent addition to our 2019 roster, particularly for our classics team as these are the races where he has showed great potential. As a Belgian, Gijs is of course familiar with all of the roads and knows how to position himself on the cobbles which means he will be an asset to the team. The fact that he and Greg often train together is an added bonus,” Ochowicz said.

“Gijs made his Grand Tour debut this year at the Giro d’Italia and has gained a lot of experience at stage races in the past few years. We are looking forward to seeing Gijs develop further as a rider and believe Continuum Sports is a great fit for him. With our focus on time trials, we have the experience and knowledge to help Gijs improve in this discipline as well. At 26-years-old, Gijs has a long career ahead of him and a lot of potential, so we are looking forward to welcoming him in 2019.”

Van Hoecke, the 2012 Madison World Champion, signed his first professional contract in 2012 and initially combined track and road racing, before solely focusing on road racing and progressing to the WorldTour in 2017.

The opportunity to ride with Van Avermaet was what attracted Van Hoecke to Continuum Sports.

“I am really excited to join Continuum Sports next year. Although I wasn’t really looking for a change, I was charmed by the offer I received from Jim Ochowicz. With BMC Racing Team, Jim has proven that he can make one of the best teams in the World, and I am convinced that he can do the same with the continuation of team, sponsored by CCC. I’m honored that I can be a part of this team,” Van Hoecke explained.

“Greg Van Avermaet is my daily training partner and a good friend of mine, so it’s needless to say that I want to help Greg and the team to continue their top results in the classics, which are my favorite races. I am looking forward to working hard with the team in the coming years and to make the next step in my career.”

In keeping with team policy, no other details of the contract were released.