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Two more riders are to join the newly branded Team Giant-Alpecin from the start of 2015, with 27-year-old Caleb Fairly coming on board, bringing three years of WorldTour racing experience with him. The next rider to bolster the 2015 line-up is young Swede, Fredrik Ludvigsson, stepping up from Development Team Giant-Shimano.

Team Giant-Shimano’s Cheng Ji made history as the first Chinese rider at the Tour de France, and he has renewed his contract with the team, seeing him stay for another two seasons.

Ji said of the news: “Firstly I have to say thanks to the team for their long-term support, help and confidence in me. I am very glad to be able to continue working with the staff and riders for the next two years and to continue our cooperation.

“I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead and I hope that I can continue the progression of my career, working hard for the benefit of the team.”

American rider Fairly has spent the past two seasons with US outfit, Garmin-Sharp where he has carved out a strong domestique roll for himself. He moves across from 2015 as the team look to strengthen the depth in support for certain races over the course of the season.

“Caleb is a rider we have identified who can work well in our team and with the structured way we work,” explained coach Marc Reef (NED). “You have to look at the way a rider will fit into the structure, and we see Caleb as a good support rider for the hilly classics and in stage races, something that is becoming increasingly important for us now.”

Fairly added: “I’m really excited to be riding with Team Giant-Alpecin and am grateful for their confidence in me. Since the team began I have been impressed with how they work to develop riders, and for the first time in my career I had more than one option so it gave me the opportunity to look at what I value in a team. Iwan [Spekenbrink – General Manager] has developed a well-structured and organised team, and these are very important qualities to me, so I couldn’t be more positive about the opportunity.”