Jonathan Hivert has signed a one-year contract with Belkin Pro Cycling, which will see the Frenchman ride for the Dutch squad in 2014. Hivert currently riders for Sojasun, where he has been since 2010, but has had to find a new team since the green and white squad is set to fold at the end of the year. So far he is one of very few from his team to have confirmed a new team for next season.
The move to Belkin will be Hivert’s second spell at a team from the Netherlands, having ridden for Skil-Shimano [now Argos-Shimano - ed] in 2009, in between spells with French teams Crédit Agricole and Sojasun.
“I have a very good feeling about this move,” Hivert said. “Belkin is a fantastic team, one of the better ones in the peloton. They have a good philosophy. During races I’ve also seen that there’s a real team spirit among the riders. That really appeals to me.”
Hivert’s move also sees the 28-year-old return to the sport’s first division, having ridden at Professional Continental level since 2009, and the Frenchman is relishing the challenge.
“I’m going to race at the highest level,” he said. “I can only get better because of that. I’m 28, and I have my best years ahead of me. I would like to learn from all the great riders within the team and I hope to discover myself in the big races.”
This year saw Hivert win the overall prize at the Etoile de Besseges, and take two stages at the Ruta del Sol, where he beat the likes of Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde and his own future teammate Bauke Mollema. He also took a creditable 22nd in Paris-Nice, and finished second overall to another future teammate, Paul Martens, in the Tour de Luxembourg.
“In those kinds of races, we can really use Jonathan,” said Belkin directeur sportif Merijn Zeeman, who directed Hivert during his year at Skil-Shimano. “He wants to help others, but we can also assign him as a co-leader in certain races. In short uphill finals, he can be deadly. In some of these race he can maybe even focus on the GC.
“He has the personality of a winner, but is also a team player,” Zeeman explained. “That is the strength of our team as well. A lot of guys here know exactly how to help others, but can also win on their own.
“I’m really looking forward to working with him again. He has clear ideas and opinions, but is also open to coaching and advice.”