Luke Rowe has agreed a new three year deal with Team Sky that will keep him at the team until the end of 2021.
The Cardiff-born rider’s contract extension will take him to 10 years with Sky having turned professional with them in 2012.
Rowe made a miraculous return to racing last year after smashing his leg into bits jumping onto a stone while white-water rafting on his brother, Matt’s stag-go in the Czech republic in August 2017.
The 28-year-old not only returned to racing but played a major part in countryman Geraint Thomas becoming the first Welshman and only the third Brit in history to win the Tour de France.
“I’ve been with Sky since the start of my career and I really feel a part of the furniture here,” said Rowe, who has ridden Le Tour for the past four seasons.
“It’s been seven years and this deal will take me through to 10 years with Team Sky, so it was an easy decision. This is home.
“The team backed me straight away after my injury, whereas some teams would have turned their back. They helped me tackle the injury head on and looked after me every step of the way.
“If I’d have been out of contract one year earlier I’d have been in a mess. I had a year to prove myself again and come back – to show that it hadn’t affected me and that I could reach the level I was at before.
“I was so fortunate to be in this team when I suffered such a bad injury. Sometimes the stars just align and everything works out.”
Rowe is keen to chase a Classic victory in 2019 having achieved top 10 finishes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix before returning to his key support role at the Grand Tours.
He added: “I’ll continue to keep knocking on the door at the Classics and see what I can do there, and after that it will hopefully be the Tour, or any of the Grand Tours. I really don’t mind.”
Rowe became a father a few years ago following the birth of his first son, Oliver, but is also keen on a a father-figure like role to Sky’s new generation of riders like highly-rated Colombian Egan Bernal.
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“It gives me that extra bit of motivation and inspiration to go out training and go racing – to be the best I can be. I want to make him proud,” said Rowe of his baby son.
“And hopefully with the younger guys that’s the type of thing that will be part of my role going forward – going to a race with a bunch of young lads, rallying the troops, and doing the business.
“It’s a role I enjoy. We went over to the Tour of California with a really young squad this year – Egan, Tao [Geoghegan Hart], Pavel [Sivakov], Sebastian [Henao] and we rode like 10 men.
“Egan had been incredible before but that was his breakthrough ride, so to be a part of that was pretty special.
“We’ve got Froomey and G who are Grand Tour winners and will be looking to do that for the next few years, but then you look to the likes of Egan – he’s signed a long contract and within that time he could win a Grand Tour. I’m excited to work alongside him.”