One deal that did not go unnoticed this winter was the transfer of Jascha Stalin from Movistar to Team Sunweb. After six years with the Spanish team, the German was looking for a new challenge, and Sunweb landed the 27-year-old domestique over strong opposition from several World Tour teams.

To understand Stalin's value as a rider, it is important not to look only at his modest individual results, but to talk directly to the teams he was on and the riders he trained with while in Germany. They will tell you that he is a dependable rider with a big engine and an athlete who can lead the pack in both the spring classics and the Grand Tours.

At the recent Sunweb team presentation in Amsterdam, the German was introduced along with his new teammates and was excited to begin the next chapter of his professional cycling career.

"It's special. I've been in the same place at Movistar, in the same routine work, but this feels good. I came here because my contract was up and I started looking for other teams and opportunities. I finally decided on Sunweb because they had a great race program and it suited me."

With Sunweb, he will play a bigger role in the Spring Classic. Not only will he have more opportunities for himself, but he will also be able to work for Michael Matthews. The freedom to grow with a team that is better at the Classic was a big draw for Satterlin in his contract for the next two years.

"I wanted to focus on the classics and I wanted to run one Grand Tour to help riders like Wilco Kelderman. And later in the season, I want to look at a week-long race. I like the cobbles in the classics. You have two choices: you either love it or you hate it. In Movistar I was alone and there was no team to help me in the Classic. But there was Daniele Bennati and Imanol Evrich. In the end, the teams weren't that close in the race because everyone was looking for positions.

"Our main targets are Flanders, Roubaix, E3, and all the cobbled classics. I don't know about the Ardennes. In Flanders I will work for Matthews. Otherwise, I would have been in the top 10, but there are plenty of opportunities for the Classics."

"I'm not sure if I'm going to be in the top 10 in Flanders or in Roubaix.

Tom Dumoulin's departure from Sunweb at the same time Satterlin joined did not affect the German's decision to join.

"Dumoulin's absence does not make a big difference to me. We have other plans, we have Wilco and we have players for the future. If Wilco is in a good position, I will give everything for him."

Either way, Satterlin hopes to make his Sunweb debut next season.

"When I moved to Movistar, I didn't know any Spanish. It was a big shock, but it didn't take me long to get used to Spanish, and although I enjoyed the six years, I think it was time for a change."