Lotto Soudal has announced that 21-year-old Belgian time trial specialist Sebastien Grignard will step up from the under-23 development team to the WorldTour team, signing a two-year contract for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Grignard has spent the past three seasons with the U23 Lot Soudal team and management feels he is ready to join the World Tour next year.

"Grignard is extremely talented. His medical tests have been excellent, and with our development team led by Kurt Van de Wouwer, he has always shown that he has the right spirit and is a good team player," Lot Soudal General Manager John Lelangue said on the team website on Thursday. He said.

"Even before this difficult season, we had our eye on Sebastian. He was ready for the 2020 season and we are confident that going forward he will confirm all the good things we have already seen from him."

In 2017, Grignard was Junior National Champion in both the road race and time trial and placed third in the junior time trial at that year's European Championships in Herning, Denmark. Last season, he finished third in the under-23 road race at the Belgian Nationals and described the opportunity to be promoted to Lotto's WorldTour team as "a dream come true."

"I can't believe it," he said. I'm so happy to step up to the World Tour team." It's like a dream come true, especially in this weird season, because it was hard to get results and convince the sporting director."

"It's a dream come true for me," he said.

"I'm looking forward to showing what I can do, not only in the time trial but in other races as well. Lot Soudal has always had faith in me, as he did in my first year competing as an U23 when I lost my season to mononucleosis. I will do my best not to let them down."