After announcing the first 10 Hammer Captains over the last couple of weeks, it’s now time to reveal the final captains of this year’s Hammer Series.
They’re the riders who will lead their teams as they take on the Hammer Series events. When not in the saddle, the Hammer Captains will provide insights and exclusive content on social media, giving fans a unique view of what it takes to win the Hammer Series.
The riders already revealed are: Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates), Brenton Jones (Delko Marseille Provence), Cameron Meyer (Mitchelton-SCOTT), Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb), Sam Bennett (BORA-hansgrohe), Greg van Avermaet (CCC Team), Timo Roosen (Team Jumbo-Visma), Owain Doull (Team Sky) and Krister Hagen (Riwal Readynez).
Below are the final six captains ready to lead their team to glory in the Hammer Series 2019:
Jon Irisarri | Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
Philippe Gilbert | Deceuninck - Quick-Step
Julius van den Berg | EF Education First Pro Cycling
Conor Dunne | Israel Cycling Academy
Edvald Boasson Hagen | Team Dimension Data
Jasper Stuyven | Trek - Segafredo
“I was lucky enough to participate in the first edition of the Hammer Series and I really liked it. These races are shorter than we are used to but they are very intense. The communication between the riders on the team is key in order to be able to distribute the efforts properly. I’m really looking forward to it!”
“I am really excited and honored to be named the Deceuninck - Quick-Step captain for the Hammer Series in 2019. Last year’s races were a great addition to the calendar and I really enjoyed taking part in the hard-fought competitions. As a team, we came very close to winning the Hammer Series and we were really disappointed that we didn’t do it. So, this year we are really focused on racing hard and fighting to take the title. It would be a really proud moment for us and for me as captain.”
“The Hammer Series is a cool new thing in cycling. It is an exciting and dynamic event, which can be more fun to watch than a longer race that doesn’t have much action until the final. Our team has some good riders for the Hammer Series. Keep an eye on our Aussies! They are strong criterium racers, and the Hammer races are similar to criteriums.”
“I am really proud to be the Hammer Series captain for my team. The last time I was captain of anything was my school U16 basketball team, so this is a big deal for me and I will be taking my duties extremely seriously. Israel Cycling Academy will come to the Hammer events fully prepared to suffer. Glory is the only option. The Hammer Series is a new style of event with fast paced, aggressive racing and so I will be personally ensuring my team-mates are in top shape!”
“I am looking forward to racing Hammer Stavanger with my team. It’s the first time competing in this format of racing for us, so it should be pretty interesting and exciting. Racing in front of home crowds is always special for me, so I hope we can put on a good show for our fans.”
“I am looking forward to being my team’s Hammer Captain this year. I’ve heard that some of my Belgian friends like Greg Van Avermaet [CCC Team] and Tim Wellens [Lotto Soudal] are also the captains of their teams. To them, and to the rest of our rivals, I will say: ‘You better get your teams ready because I think Trek-Segafredo will do very well this year!’”
The first Hammer event in 2019 takes place in Stavanger from May 24-26, while the next one follows in Limburg from June 7-9.
Hong Kong hosts the final event from October 12-13. All races will be available to watch online worldwide.
To see all the appointed Hammer Captains, click here.