Intermarché Wanty announced Wednesday a two-year contract extension with popular Dutch rider Taco van der Hoorn. [Van der Hoorn, a Giro d'Italia stage winner and winner of one-day races such as Omloop van het Houtland and the Brussels Cycling Classic, will remain with the team through 2026.

The 31-year-old spent 16 months recovering from a severe concussion suffered in the 2023 Tour de Flanders and finally returned to racing this August, taking his first win since his brain injury from a breakaway in the Betcity Elfstedenrace in October.

Ike Visbeek, the team's performance manager, said the team missed him during his extended absence.

“Taco van der Hoorn is one of our most popular riders, admired by fans for his aggressive racing style,” Visbeek said. Along with Biniam Girmay, Luis Mainzhess, Simone Petilli, Lorenzo Rota, and Georg Zimmermann, he forms the core of the team that will build our identity since we entered the WorldTour in 2021.”

“Taco is a role model and inspires his teammates with his temperament and good mood; when he returned in August, he was able to perform immediately and maintain this level until the end of the season. We are very happy to be able to count on him for the coming season. Together we will keep aiming for victories, especially in the Classics.”

Van der Hoorn is a relative latecomer to the World Tour, signing with Jumbo Visma in 2019 at age 25 after a successful season in the room pot that included a stage win on the Bink Bank Tour.

He joined Intermarche in 2021, winning three races that year, including a stage win at the Giro d'Italia.

Van der Horn came close to winning a stage at the Tour de France in 2022, but was narrowly beaten by Simon Clark from a five-man breakaway group. 2023, until a crash at the Tour of Flanders left him with concussion, he was in the hunt for a Grand Tour He was still in contention for victory in the Grand Tours.

With his long road to recovery over, Van der Horn said he is confident about the future.

“It's hard to summarize all the progress I've made in the last year and a half, but I hope my experience can serve as an example to others going through dark times,” said the affable Dutch rider.

“I chose to continue my career at Intermarche Wanty, where we share the same vision.

“My personal ambitions fit perfectly with the team's goals. I enjoy the full trust of the sporting director in races where I believe I can achieve good results. Furthermore, the team atmosphere always makes racing a pleasure.

“Finally, we have very competitive equipment. I feel involved with this equipment and feel that they are listening to my development of the equipment. I share the same vision as Mikey van Kruijningen, the equipment manager, and together with our technical partners we are always trying to push the envelope.”