Alice Barnes joins Canyon-SRAM

The Canyon-SRAM squad announced the signing of three riders for the 2018 season, with Briton Alice Barnes, German road champion Lisa Klein and trainee Christa Riffel inking deals with the squad.

Barnes, second overall and the best young rider in the BeNe Ladies Tour and bronze medalist in the U23 European road championships, comes across from the Drops Cycling Team to join her sister Hannah Barnes. Klein, 21, moves from Cervelo-Bigla, while neo-pro Riffel upgraded from trainee status.

"I am really excited to join the Canyon-SRAM line up," Barnes said. "This year I have had some great opportunities to ride for myself but I believe for me to move forward I have a lot more to learn. The staff and riders are very experienced and they can teach me a lot. I have always admired the way that they work as a unit and are always working towards one goal."

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Barnes, 22, gained the attention of team manager Ronny Lauke thanks to some promising results in the Classics, such as a 7th place in Gent-Wevelgem and sixth overall in the Women's Tour in addition to her more recent success in the Netherlands.

"Alice raised our interest due to her fighting spirit and never give up attitude," Lauke said. "Her strength in classic races is very promising and her hunger for more is brilliant to see. Beating one of the icons in the sport, Marianne Vos, in a one-on-one sprint in Belgium recently was a very strong signal. We are pleased she has joined our setup for the coming year."

Barnes, Klein and Riffel each stated their intention of using the 2018 season to learn from the team's more experienced riders.

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