Frenchman Hugo Page extended his contract with Intermarché-Wanty for one additional season. The 22 year old rider, who signed his first professional contract joining the Walloon World Team in 2022, thus pursues his evolution within the structure of Jean-François Bourlart until at least the end of 2026.
From his first season with Intermarché-Wanty as a neo pro, Page immediately distinguished himself on the highest level by finishing three times among the five fastest riders of the peloton in the Critérium du Dauphiné, wearing the green jersey for one day, before obtaining his first professional podium on the cobbles of Binche-Chimay-Binche in October.
Three months later, he started season 2023 with a first World Tour podium in the Cadel Evans Road Race, where he sprinted to second place in a reduced peloton of strong riders. It is in this way that he achieved his first professional victory in the final stage of the Tour du Limousin and four top ten finishes in the Tour of Spain, his first grand tour, among which a fourth place on the final day in Madrid.
With his temperament of attacker, Hugo Page regularly showed himself in the cobble classics, which perfectly suit his profile of powerful rider. He also contributed several times to the victories of his teammates in a role in the sprint train, notably alongside Gerben Thijssen.
The Frenchman from Chartres started season 2024 with several good results on Spanish soil and starts the Tour of Algarve this Wednesday before focusing on the classics and his preparation towards his first Tour de France.
“Intermarché-Wanty is the perfect environment to develop as a rider, particularly in the domain of the classics. For each of us, the performance team has a long term vision. This season I receive the opportunity to focus on the spring classics and my first Tour de France. These annual plans enable us to prepare our goals in a serene way. The bond of mutual trust we built the past years has been decisive in my performances. The good moments we experience off the bike also play a major role. This is why extending my contract with another season was a logical choice for me.” “I make steps each season since my arrival in 2022 and it is my aim to continue growing together with the team. In May I’ll participate for the first time to the altitude training camp of the selection for the Tour de France. We can also rely on Lattoflex, a new partner who supplies mattresses and pillows at home and in the races to improve our recovery. The synergy with my new trainer Christophe Prémont is excellent. The riders who guided me during my first months in the professional peloton, Dimitri Claeys and Kévin Van Melsen, are now part of the performance team. All these factors united make me feel ready and stronger than one year ago, which I already noticed in the beginning of the season in the difficult races on Spanish soil. I’m confident to tackle the first cobble classics.”
“Two years ago we offered the young Hugo Page the opportunity to make his professional debut in the World Tour with Intermarché-Wanty. And we don’t regret it, quite the contrary. Since then, he has grown with the team, in support of his leaders but also by grabbing his own chance. I’m thinking of his grand tour debut in the Tour of Spain at the end of last season. He has shown that we can rely on him in the battle for the victory on the highest level. Hugo has confidence in our team and wishes to stay with us on the long term. We’re convinced that he has the capabilities to surprise us in the next years.”
“With this contract extension we want to give Hugo Page a clear signal about our wish to work with him on the long term, in the interest of the future of our team. He’s a young talent with a big engine, he’s also fast after a hilly final. In addition to the important role he plays in the sprint train, he has the capabilities to finish it off himself. Hugo continues his progression step by step and will undoubtedly become a key element in our team for the classics. Last year, his spring campaign was disturbed by mononucleosis. But he then managed to come back in a brilliant way, with a first professional victory and a successful grand tour debut in the Tour of Spain last summer. He came out of it stronger and continued to race for the victory in the autumn classics for weeks. That’s why we established an ambitious programme for him last winter. We’re curious to see how far he can get in his first classics campaign with an ideal preparation, we’re looking forward to see his performances in the Belgian opening weekend. Then later during the season, we hope to see him make his debut in the Tour de France.”
