Team News: Deins Kaņepējs (Vitus Pro Cycling)

One of the key riders for Vitus Pro Cycling in 2018 will be 22 year old Deins Kaņepējs of Latvia who finished the 2017 season with a victory in the Tour of Quanzhou Bay (UCI 2.2) outsprinting Harry Tanfield.

Team News: Deins Kaņepējs (Vitus Pro Cycling)

One of the key riders for the Vitus Pro Cycling team in 2018 will be 22 year old Deins Kaņepējs of Latvia.

Deins, who is getting the nickname of Denis from his teammates and will almost certainly be the tallest rider in the peloton if Conor Dunne isn’t in the race, finished the 2017 season with a victory in the Tour of Quanzhou Bay (UCI 2.2) which was won overall by Britain’s Max Stedman.

On that stage, Deins outsprinted a rider we all know is a powerhouse in Britain, Harry Tanfield who had won the first stage.

Deins was third in the 2015 Under-23 Latvian Road Race Championships and in 2017, was 4th in his country’s Road Race championship as well as second overall in the Tour of Estonia. Asked how he feels to be making the move to race in Britain for Vitus Pro Cycling, he replied “For me, it’s a big step in my personal career as Vitus Pro Cycling is team where I can see my future and where I can prove myself as sportsman. Its huge motivation for me – I am looking forward to race this season as part of the team. I know that I am in right place”.

Finishing the year on a high with a win in China, beating Harry Tanfield, one of the most consistent riders on the podium in 2017.

Deins says he has been cycling for seven years which he admits is not a long time. “Before cycling, I was cross country skier where I spent almost all my childhood. In the seven years I have been racing, I have learned a lot and it was a good school in my previous continental team Rietumu Bank – Riga”.

“Every season, I have improved my results and my best results were in 2017 where I had not only few victories in local races but was also victorious and had podiums in UCI category races. My last victory in China (Tour of Quanzhou Bay 2.2) is one of the best results in my career and a good result also was in Tour of Estonia (2.1) where I was 2nd on GC and on the podium on one of stages”.
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Talking about his strengthes, Deins says “I feel very comfortable when a race is close to the finish and I can find a place in peloton and do a good lead out for the team’s sprinter. Also I can prove myself as sprinter especially from breakaways. I have done a lot chasing for my team during races but most important I think for our team is that we are a new team with new riders with ambitions in every race”.

Finally, we ask Deins what his goal is for 2018 with Vitus Pro Cycling. He says “I want to do my best and to be one of the leaders in Vitus Pro Cycling team and deliver victories in races for myself and my team mates. I know that in every race, I will race it with a serious attitude and respect”.