Trek-Segafredo team manager Luca Guercilena has told Cyclingnews that Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) is on the list of riders the US-registered WorldTour team would be interested in signing for 2019 after opting not to splash a significant chunk of the team's budget to secure an immediate replacement for Alberto Contador.
Contador's unexpected retirement after the Vuelta a Espana left Trek-Segafredo and Guercilena on the back foot and means the team will not have a big-name Grand Tour leader for 2018. Instead, they hope John Degenkolb can return to his best and have an excellent Classics campaign, while Bauke Mollema will again carry the team's overall hopes at the Tour de France.
"Alberto is very hard to replace; there aren't many Grand Tour leaders like him out there," Guercilena told Cyclingnews. "Indeed, apart from Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali there aren't really any riders at his level. In agreement with our sponsors, we've decided to take advantage of the investment we've already made in the team, with the idea to invest in a Grand Tour leader in the future."
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Thomas is an obvious target for Trek-Segafredo. The Welshman has still to secure a podium finish in a Grand Tour but has shown huge potential and only signed a one-year contract extension with Team Sky for 2018.
"We've got some names we'd be interested in signing, and Geraint Thomas would be one of those riders for sure," Guercilena said.
"But we also know how hard it is to sign riders from good set-ups like Team Sky. We've preferred to think long-term, until 2020, with the idea of investing the money we have in 2019. We'll plan carefully so we get the right rider."
Missing a big win in 2017
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