The Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team is strengthening its 2022 squad with the addition of Jack Drage, the 2021 New Zealand U23 Road Race champion. Jack joins Axeon from Groupama-FDJ Equipe continentale.
“Joining Axeon has always been a dream for me,” said Jack. “They are one of the best development teams in the world so it was pretty awesome when I was asked to join them. I am really grateful for the opportunity and am super excited about continuing my development with Axeon next year.”
Jack is a two-time New Zealand National Champion, winning the 2020 U19 Road Race and the 2021 U23 Road Race. The 18-year-old from Christchurch, New Zealand considers himself strong in breakaways and hills. He is a hard worker and does not shy away from challenges.
For 2022, Jack hopes to get stronger on long climbs and bunch positioning.
“Jack is a big talent out of New Zealand and has shown great potential on hilly courses,” said team owner and director Axel Merckx. “He has already stagiared with FDJ this year and brings with him perspective and experience. Jack has high potential with a lot of growth and development still to be done. I’m excited to have another Kiwi on the team and look forward to seeing what he can achieve.”
Jack is the third rider to join the 2022 Hagens Berman Axeon roster after Kasper Anderson and Darren Rafferty.
