Image 1 of 5 Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale-Drapac) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 2 of 5 Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale-Drapac) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 3 of 5 Tom-Jelte Slagter (Cannondale-Drapac) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 4 of 5 Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 5 of 5 Tom-Jelte Slagter at the head of the break on the Giro d'Italia's 20th stage. (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Dimension Data has confirmed the signing of Tom-Jelte Slagter for the 2018 season with the hope of boosting their line-up for the Ardennes Classics and one-week stage races. Slagter joins the team after spending the last four seasons with the Cannondale-Drapac squad.

"I am very happy to join Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka for the next years. I had a great four years at my current team, Cannondale-Drapac, but I felt it was time for new challenges," Slagter said in a team press release.

"Team Dimension Data has a wonderful vision and cause, and I think for me, with the performance goals the team has, it is the ideal team for me to achieve results and develop as a rider."

Slagter is the fourth new signing for the Dimension Data team for next year after Louis Meintjes' return was confirmed, along with Julien Vermote from Quick-Step Floors and Nicholas Dlamini from the development squad. Slagter will fill the shoes of former teammate Nathan Haas who is set to depart for Katusha-Alpecin at the end of the year.

Slagter turned professional with Rabobank in 2011 after winning the under-23 national road race title the season before. In 2013, his final season with Rabobank, he won the overall title at the Tour Down Under and took a stage win along with it. He switched to Garmin-Sharp (now Cannondale-Drapac) for the 2014 season and took two stage wins at Paris-Nice and delivered top 10 finishes at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. This season, he has one victory to his name with a stage win at the Tour of Austria.

"Tom has shown throughout his career that he can win bike races, but with the structures our team has and the support we offer, we believe that we can still help him to become a better rider and get the maximum out of his talent," said Dimension Data's head of performance Rolf Aldag.

"We are looking forward to welcome him as one of our new team members. Tom is a very entertaining rider for the fans, because he is an attacking and explosive type of rider. That makes him very visible and a good ambassador for Qhubeka and Team Dimension Data. The Ardennes classics and hard stages are his specialty, but he is even able to compete for the overall classification in short stage races."