The 21-year-old has been rewarded with a two-year contract after impressing as a stagiaire in the final part of the season.
Mikkel Honoré will ride for World Tour Team Classification winner Quick-Step Floors in 2019 and 2020, following a strong season in the amateur ranks, during which he won Circuit de Wallonie and finished in the top 10 at Gent-Wevelgem and Eschborn-Frankfurt, but also rode several races as a trainee for the squad, where he made himself noticed with the commitment and hard work put in for his teammates, but also his solid results, which served as confirmation of the talent and versatility he possesses.
"It's a childhood dream coming true to sign with Quick-Step Floors. I was given the chance to ride here as stagiaire in the last months of the season, which has been really cool and I've enjoyed every moment, but I didn't dare to dream of signing a contract, so this is truly an amazing feeling. Everybody has been super welcoming, which made the experience even better and made me feel at home from the first meeting", said Mikkel, who will be the third Danish rider on the team, alongside Michael Mørkøv and Kasper Asgreen, the latter having joined our outfit from the same Team Waoo.
As every young rider who steps up to the World Tour, Mikkel Honoré has ambitions and races he would like to win one day, but also knows that the road lying ahead is long and challenging, so he prefers to take it one thing at a time and learn the trade before setting any personal goals.
"First of all, I'm looking forward to meeting the whole team during the off-season training camps and getting a good winter training under the belt to be as ready as possible for the 2019 season, where I hope to continue where I left off and prove myself worthy. I am not setting any specific goals for now, I am just keen on learning as much as I can from all the experience my teammates and staff can offer. I can't think of a better platform for continuing my development over the next years than the one I am being offered at Quick-Step Floors."
Quick-Step Floors CEO Patrick Lefevere is confident Mikkel will slot quickly into the team and help the squad – for the seventh season in a row the most successful in the world – remain at the top: "Mikkel's quality, talent and maturity surfaced not only in the U23 ranks, but also when riding against the pros, in such races as Grand Prix d'Isbergues and Binche-Chimay-Binche, which weren't a stroll in the park, so offering him a contract was the logical step to do. We welcome him to the Quick-Step Floors family and hope we will have a fruitful relationship over the next couple of seasons."
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
