Development Team DSM’s Leon Heinschke and Marius Mayrhofer promoted to the WorldTour in 2022

After steady progress year-on-year with their Development program, Team DSM are thrilled to announce that Leon Heinschke and Marius Mayrhofer will be promoted to the Men’s program in 2022, with both riders signing a contract that will see them ride with the team until at least the end of 2023. The German duo will mark ten riders to be have been delivered to the WorldTour through Team DSM’s Development program since its realisation in 2017.

Leon Heinschke (GER)

Now set to make his WorldTour debut in 2022, Heinschke has matured with his physical and personal capabilities in his four years with the team. A punchy rider who can ride the hills and climbs, Heinschke took a memorable win at the 2019 U23 German national championships, claiming a magnificent victory in the road race. A real team player, Heinschke is also one to give his all for the team’s goals, and has reaped the benefits of mixing with the team’s Men’s program on selected races in the last two seasons. That extra experience paid off at the Tour Alsace this year, where he took an impressive second place on the tough finish to Lac Blanc, securing third place on GC in the process.

Heinschke said: “I’ve spent four really good years with Team DSM so far. It was always a dream of mine to become a professional rider and the team has put a lot of trust in me over the years, so it feels good to make that next step in my development here. It’s been nice working with everyone within the team so far, both riders and staff – it’s a good fit for me here. I’ve learned a lot in the last four years, both sportive wise but also personally where I think I’ve developed well. Training wise the team has helped me to build a nice base level which I feel is the perfect step up to the new level that I will have in 2022. The professional peloton will take a little getting used to, but I’ve done a few pro races with the team already, and I really feel that will make a big difference with the transition. I just want to keep learning and developing as much as I possibly can, while helping the team to achieve our goals; whatever the race or terrain is.”

Team DSM head of coaching Rudi Kemna added: “Leon is now into his fourth year with us as part of our Development program and year-on-year we’ve seen him progress as a person and an athlete. Leon has grown more in confidence and has put that into effect by helping guide our younger Development program riders. On the bike, we’ve achieved some good results together such as his German national championships win or his recent exceptional performance at Tour Alsace. We think it’s now time for Leon to make the step up to our Men’s program, where we’ll focus on his general development as he makes the transition to the WorldTour, before seeing where his speciality is.”

Marius Mayrhofer (GER)

Joining Team DSM in 2019 after two successful years in the junior ranks which saw him claim silver at the World Championships alongside other numerous strong results, Mayrhofer has continued his upwards trajectory within Team DSM’s Development program. His first race with the team saw him take second place in the Istrian Spring Trophy prologue, before working hard for the team at other races; showing his strong team mentality. Adept over hilly terrain and packing a strong finish sprint, Mayrhofer took a very impressive fifth place at the elite German national championships in 2020, aged only 19. This year has seen Mayrhofer continue to build on those good performances with a podium in the opening day at Coppi e Bartali and securing ninth on GC at the tough Kreiz Breizh.

Mayrhofer said: “I’ve been in Team DSM’s Development program for three years already, so I know the team in a really good way, and we trust each other a lot. In my time here I’ve met a lot of nice people that I am excited to continue working with in the future. I think these relationships and this structure gives us a good base to build on in the coming years together. I’m really looking forward to making the step up and racing with my new teammates next year; some of them I’ve raced with already in our mixed races, or they have also been promoted from the Development program too. As a rider and a person, I want to keep pushing myself as much as possible in the next years and be a valuable member that the team can count on.”

Team DSM head of coaching Rudi Kemna added: “We’ve spent a good three years together with Marius already in our Development program, and it’s really nice to see him in the place that he is ready to be promoted to our Men’s program next year. As Marius is still young, we want to keep his development as broad as possible so he can develop into a well-rounded athlete. We will continue to take it step-by-step with no pressure, and then in the coming years look more specifically to where his speciality lies. Given his results so far we’ll look to integrate him into our sprint group and reassess as he continues to mature on the bike.”