September 01, 2018 – Leah Kirchmann (CAN) has extended her contract for an additional two years, until the end of 2020 and U23 double European champion Pernille Mathiesen (DEN) in 2017 has extended until the end of 2019.

“I am very happy to extend my contract with Team Sunweb for two more years. I like how the team is organized and feel that this is an environment where I can continue to grow and develop as a person and a rider,” said Kirchmann. “I’m proud to be part of a team that supports a strong women’s program and is constantly looking to innovate and change the sport through the ‘Keep-Challenging’ mentality. I’m looking forward to helping the team continue to develop and achieve success at the WorldTour level for the next few years.”

Team Sunweb coach Hans Timmermans detailed more about Kirchmann’s role on the team: “Leah has proved over the years that she is a world-class rider. Over the last three years she has won the Giro Rosa prologue, finished 2nd in the Women’s WorldTour and was part of our winning world TTT squad. These results show how strong of a rider she is, but in addition to top results, she is also one of the best support riders in the peloton. She is a complete all rounder and can support our leaders for a very long time and is a rider that always keeps the team goal in her mind. A top team cannot perform without riders like Leah.”

Mathiesen said: “I am really happy to extend my contract for next year with the team. I’ve had a good year and I have learned a lot from team mates and staff. It has been great to work with all the experts within the team and I can see that I made some good steps in my own development. I am really looking forward to continuing to work with all the experts, my teammates and staff for next year and to continue my development.”

Timmermans added: “Pernille has made a huge step during the season within our team. Her time trial is already at world class level and her 5th at the Europeans shows how strong she is. In addition to this she is of great added value to our TTT squad which is a discipline we have spent much time developing. With development goals in mind we aim to see her in the finals of spring classics next season – her physical qualities are without a doubt very promising.”