Continuing to build for next year, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL are happy to announce that they have extended contracts with Romain Combaud, Sean Flynn and Niklas Märkl; three established riders in their Men’s program. Combaud has penned a contract for another year in 2025, while Flynn and Märkl have extended through to the end of 2026
Romain Combaud
After spending all his earlier career riding for French teams, Combaud made the jump and joined Team dsm-firmenich PostNL ahead of the 2021 season. Settling in well and gelling with both riders and staff, his personable character has shone through, and he has continued to grow in the now almost four years with the team. A true team player, Combaud is always more than willing to give his all for his teammates, working tirelessly in support of the team’s finisher with some strong riding; whether that be pulling hard on the front of the bunch, or helping with the younger riders. He’s also made his Grand Tour debut, completing both a Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, in his time so far with the team; the latter of which he was part of that incredible 2023 team time trial victory on the opening stage.
Combaud said: “I’m proud to stay at Team dsm-firmenich PostNL because I feel at home in the team; and why change something when you feel good somewhere. I like the atmosphere and how the team works with me and personally I also enjoy my role in supporting the team’s finishers and helping and guiding the young guys too. I’ve had some nice memories but two that stand out are the TTT at the Vuelta last year and the second place of Romain in Liège this year. Those are moments that were very enjoyable and will stay with me forever. I try to bring my best on the bike to help my teammates and bring a nice atmosphere and always keep smiling off the bike. I think if you work with nice atmosphere and have a good attitude, then the nice results follow. For next year, I will continue in this way and help the team as best as I can.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Romain is really a team player, and he has impressed us both on and off the bike since joining us. We think that his overall level has improved with the team and he’s someone that is capable of riding on all terrains, which we’ve seen with his strong support role at various races throughout the years. He’s a loyal guy and enjoys sharing his experience with the rest of the riders on the squad; where he’s developing into a road captainship style role.”
Sean Flynn
Coming from a multi-discipline background, Flynn made the transition to road racing in 2021 and rode well at the U23 level before joining Team dsm-firmenich PostNL for the 2023 season. His opening year with the team saw Flynn learn the ropes as he adjusted to WorldTour level racing but impressive displays in the classics and strong support as a teammate saw him make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España later in the year; where he played his part in the team time trial victory on stage one and the sprint stage later in the race. 2024 saw Flynn start the season in good form where he took a strong second on the opening day at Haut Var and a “what could have been feeling” if it wasn’t for a crash on the second stage when he was in a good position. Since then, he’s supported the team ably and recently showed great legs during the Tour of Denmark where he was part of the engine room on the opening TTT win, helped the squad to two sprint wins in the lead-out and took ninth on GC himself after a solid week of racing. He further backed that up with 11th overall at the Deutschland Tour, before supporting compatriot Oscar Onley to second on GC at the Tour of Britain, a race where Flynn also ended tenth in the final standings.
Flynn said: “I am grateful for the support and opportunities the team has given me; it’s helped me make the step up to the professional level seem very natural. Most of all, I am thankful for the belief the team has in my personal attributes and the commitment to help me realise my potential. I believe I am only just at the start of that journey, so it feels like the perfect place to continue improving and make the next steps. My favourite memory from the last two years with the team would have to be our TTT victory in the opening stage of the Vuelta last year. It was very special to share this moment with teammates and see how much it meant to both the more experienced guys as well as the group of us for whom it was our first grand tour: I will never forget that day. I would like to think that I bring a level and calm head into the chaotic moments of a race, which helps keep the team on track and able to execute our plan, even when the racing is tough. It wasn’t a characteristic I really thought I had before I joined the team, but it seems I have naturally taken on a captain role in a number of races, and I have enjoyed learning to take on that responsibility. Personally, I really believe in the potential the young generation our team has now, and I want to be part of the journey towards increasingly high-end results with these guys. With the experience the older guys bring, plus the drive we have as a younger group, I really believe we can achieve a lot over the next few years. I really want to be a part of that, and if I can contribute personally to some of those results that would be amazing, but I also take a lot of pleasure in helping my mates go for the win as well, so I am excited to see what the next two years hold.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna remarked: “Sean has really impressed us, not only with his own the bike development but he also has a really good character too. He’s grown more and more into the team since 2023, and we think he’s ready for the next step. We want to focus on his development in the classics, with a particular eye on the Flemish-style classics, but alongside that he also brings value and help to our sprint group too. Furthermore, as he gets even more comfortable in the team he has shown himself as a leader and captain who can bring the guys together, in the good and bad moments, so we also want to help him develop in that role too.”
Niklas Märkl:
A long-standing member of the team and its structure, Märkl attended one of the early talent days ahead of joining the Development program in 2018. After coming through the ranks, he turned professional in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since. Developing year-on-year he’s proven to be a valuable teammate in the early season classics and one-day races, whilst also supporting the team’s goals in the sprints as part of the lead-out. 2023 saw him make his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia where he played an important part in the stage 17 sprint success, along with several other strong rides throughout the season. This campaign has seen Märkl continue in that manner, providing good support in the lead-outs to help the team’s finishers get the best results possible.
Märkl said: “I’m really excited and happy to continue my journey with the team. I’ve been here since 2018 and have made steps year-on-year, in which the team has really helped me and given me the time need to grow as a rider. I’ve had a lot of good memories so far but the Giro last year is something that stands out for me, where we had the pink jersey for a week and took a really good sprint win too. We’ve had some cool wins together but also had lots of nice moments off the bike too at training camps and so on. This year I’ve helped the guys in the sprint group with the lead-outs, something that we’ve been working on over the years, and from that we took some good wins which was great. Personally, I also think I made some steps myself in the one-day races and classics which is also nice. Off the bike I think I am someone that isn’t afraid to speak and can get everyone on board and move in the right direction, so I think there I can play an important role. Overall, though, I’m just really looking forward to making to the next two years where hopefully I can make more steps and grow even more as a rider.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Rudi Kemna added: “We’ve had a really nice journey together with Niklas so far since his time at our talent days, to our Development program and then to our Men’s program. We’ve seen him grow from a teenager to a man, and he’s taken steps with us each season. On the bike we’ll continue our focus with him in the sprint group where he has shown that he’s capable of playing an important role in lead-outs. Through his time with the team he’s grown off the bike too and is quite outspoken amongst the group. He’s learned to be able to bring things to the rest of the guys in a smart and professional way which then makes them better, and in turn brings the team to a higher level.”