Team dsm-firmenich extend contract with talented Max Poole through 2027

Team dsm-firmenich are delighted to announce that they have broken open and extended their contract with Max Poole, as the talented young British rider commits his future to the team, extending his contract until at least the end of the 2027 season.

Joining the Development program in 2022, Poole settled in well and impressed in his opening races with the team where he gained valuable experience riding alongside the Men’s program at Tour of the Alps and 4 Jours de Dunkerque. That acquired experience and knowledge would pay off in the second half of the season where he finished sixth overall on debut at the notoriously challenging Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta – Mont Blanc race, before a tenth overall at the Sazka Tour. Then in a pro field with many WorldTeams, he took a brilliant seventh at Arctic Race of Norway; the latter of which he impressed with a strong teammate’s ride to support Andreas Leknessund to GC victory.

2023 saw Poole make the step-up to the Men’s program as he became a WorldTour level pro with Team dsm-firmenich. The start of the year saw him ride strongly at Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var before he suffered a crash at Faun Drôme Classic. Nonetheless, Poole showed great resilience and maturity for someone of his age, and quickly put the setback behind him, returning to racing with a quietly impressive 11^th place at the Tour of the Alps, where he also won the best young riders jersey. Riding strongly after his first high altitude camp with the team, Poole’s impressive April continued as he claimed his first WorldTour level top five at the Tour de Romandie with fourth place on stage four; a result that would be mirrored in the overall classification. Fourth place at the Tour de Hongrie followed in May before Poole wrapped up his first part of the season with two fifth place stage finishes at the Critérium du Dauphiné and a 13^th overall.

Speaking about committing his future to the team Poole said: “For me I see this as the next stage in my career and it was important to be in the right place where I can do it in the best way possible and bring me to the highest level possible. I think the length of the contract allows me to grow over time and do everything in the right way. I think alongside that, it’s important to be in the right environment and I have a lot of trust in the people I work closely with that I can reach the level I want to be at in a few years’ time. That is ultimately the most important thing for me, just as really getting up for and buying into what the team have put forward in terms of goals and development is important for me too. The last one and a half years have been a whirlwind but going to work with a smile on my face side-by-side next to this team makes it easy and I’m excited to be riding round with two blue stripes on my back for a while longer.”

Team dsm-firmenich head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Max is a talented rider who we want to guide to the highest level of the sport, and we believe that is possible. Alongside his physical qualities on the bike, he also has an intelligence and tactical awareness to read and understand races well. He is switched-on while off the bike and is keen to speak with, listen to and work with the experts in our team and all those around him. We have a lot of mutual trust together and another long-term contract like this shows our intentions for the future and what we are building towards; a good GC core with the talents we have in this team.”