Alpecin-Premier Tech has confirmed two signings and a contract extension for 2027, bringing Danish rider Morten Nørtøft straight into its WorldTour squad, giving Belgian prospect Michiel Lambrecht a three-year development-to-WorldTour agreement and retaining Austrian national champion Michael Gogl for another season.
The team announced all three agreements on Friday, 30 October, with a different role planned for each rider. Nørtøft will race at WorldTour level immediately, Lambrecht will spend 2027 with the development team before graduating in 2028, and Gogl will begin a sixth consecutive season with the Belgian organisation.
Morten Nørtøft earns WorldTour contract after six years at Continental level
Nørtøft, 24, joins on a two-year contract covering 2027 and 2028. He arrives from Danish Continental squad Team ColoQuick, where he has spent the past two seasons after an earlier spell with the development team of Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
The Dane produced two of his strongest results in 2026, finishing fourth overall at both Olympia’s Tour and the Circuit des Ardennes. Those performances provided evidence of his stage-racing ability against international fields after several years spent trying to establish a route into cycling’s top division.
Nørtøft described the signing as the outcome of six years of work at Continental level. He said reaching the WorldTour was an important personal milestone and that he was looking forward to testing himself against the best riders in the sport.
For Alpecin-Premier Tech, his arrival adds another rider with a stage-racing background to a roster more widely associated with Mathieu van der Poel’s Classics campaigns and Jasper Philipsen’s sprinting.
Michiel Lambrecht signs three-year deal with WorldTour promotion built in
Lambrecht, 23, has secured an unusually clear pathway. His agreement runs from 2027 through 2029, but he will initially ride for Alpecin-Premier Tech’s development team. The team has already committed to promoting him to its WorldTour line-up for the final two years of the contract.
The Belgian moves from Team Flanders-Baloise, having previously raced for Wagner Bazin WB. Both teams have faced the end of their operations, leaving Lambrecht searching for stability as he tries to build his professional career. His move to Alpecin-Premier Tech had been reported earlier in October, but the official announcement now establishes the three-year duration and planned promotion.
“After seeing my last two teams disappear, I’m very grateful to have found a new home,” Lambrecht said in the team’s announcement.
He has already accumulated experience in major Belgian one-day races. During 2026 he took 30th at the E3 Saxo Classic after spending time in an early breakaway, and finished seventh on the final stage of the Tour de Wallonie. His first year in the development squad will give him time to continue that progression before the planned step up to the WorldTour in 2028.
Alpecin-Premier Tech has used this route with other young riders. Guus van den Eijnden, for example, is set to remain with the development team in 2027 before moving to the senior squad for 2028 and 2029.
Michael Gogl extends through 2027 in Austrian champion’s jersey
Gogl, 32, has agreed to remain for 2027, his sixth consecutive season with the team. The Austrian brings experience to a squad adding riders at the beginning of their careers and will continue wearing his national road champion’s jersey after taking the title in 2026.
In the announcement, Gogl said the national jersey provided additional motivation and that he wanted to continue contributing to the team’s objectives. His renewal maintains an established option for demanding one-day races and support duties alongside the new arrivals.
The three decisions form part of a wider reshuffle. Alpecin-Premier Tech has already recruited Vincent Van Hemelen from Team Flanders-Baloise for 2027 and will lose Tobias Bayer to EF Education-EasyPost. Nørtøft’s two-year contract, Lambrecht’s staged promotion and Gogl’s one-year extension each fill a different need as the team builds towards next season.
