Team Sunweb announce stagiaires for 2019 season

Development Team Sunweb’s Nils Eekhoff and Martin Salmon are set to join the team’s WorldTour program as stagiaires for the remainder of the 2019 season. 21-year-old Marten Kooistra also makes the step up for the rest of the year, after an impressive display of strength during the past four seasons riding for SEG Racing Academy.

Nils Eekhoff

After being with Team Sunweb’s Development program since it’s inception in 2017, Eekhoff has had an array of strong performances, most notably his 2017 Paris-Roubaix win. Now his second year as a stagiaire, he looks forward to taking another step in his development.

Nils – “I had a great experience as a stagiaire last year and did some really nice races. I’m looking forward to another year of learning from the pros. I start as a stagiaire one year stronger and with more experience, and I’m excited to be an added value to the team.”

Team Sunweb coach Sebastian Deckert – “Having had Nils in the team for three years, we are happy to continue his development process as a stagiaire for the second consecutive year. After a really hard crash at the beginning of the year Nils fought his way back with some impressive performances and results. We believe the stagiaire role adds value to the program that Nils will do for the rest of the year.”

Marten Kooistra

A great talent, Marten has enjoyed various successes on the bike over recent years with standout performances such as a win at the U23 Paris-Tours, 2nd in the GC at Olympia’s Tour and a stage win. This stagiaire role furthers his development as a rider with a lot of potential.

Marten – “I’m really looking forward to joining Team Sunweb as a stagiaire. It’s a nice opportunity to race on a higher level and get to know the team and how they work better. I’m really motivated for the change – it’s a great chance for me to show myself.”

Team Sunweb coach Sebastian Deckert – “We believe that Marten has a lot of potential as a young rider. He has achieved various solid results in the past and we are confident that he will learn a lot with us for the rest of the year. It will be a good opportunity for us both to get to know each other, and for Marten to gain some valuable experience.”