Riders ready for step up to pro ranks after extremely promising year
Set up as essentially a British team with some foreign riders, Team Sky has shown that it is planning for more multi-national success by signing two of the best young American talents.
The 21 year old duo Joe Dombrowski and Ian Boswell have inked their first pro contracts with the squad, choosing to move to Sky rather than passing from Bontrager Livestrong to its parent team, RadioShack Nissan.
The signings are a blow to the latter, but a coup by the former. Dombrowski highlighted his clear talent this year when he won two stages plus the overall in the Baby Giro, a major pointer towards future success. But he also showed he can already ride strongly against the current batch of professionals, netting fourth on the Mount Baldy stage of the Tour of California plus twelfth overall, fourth overall in the Tour of Utah and tenth in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
As reported in July, he was much in demand and had a range of offers to consider from. “Very few teams have not shown an interest, both WorldTour and Pro Continental level,” his agent Andrew McQuaid said then. “He is a huge talent, the real deal. I think he is going to be a big star – winning the Baby Giro at 21 is massive and shows how gifted he is.”
Dombrowski is pleased with his final choice. “It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to spending the next couple of years at Team Sky,” he said after finalising terms. “I chose the team because it is the best programme in the world right now and I’m looking forward to having this great opportunity to learn.
“It’s a big step but my focus is on integrating into the team, learning from the great staff and riders, and living and racing in Europe full-time. If I can do all that in the first year then I’d consider it a success.
Boswell is also a very considerable talent, as evidenced by his runner-up slot in the Under 23 Liège-Bastogne- Liège plus fifth overall in the Tour of Utah. His Tour de l’Avenir performance was also very notable; regarded as the Tour de France for amateurs, he was second and fourth on stages plus fifth overall.
He too enthused about the signing, describing the team as the best in the world and ‘like signing for the Yankees in baseball.’
“It’s the best team in the world. Team Sky have the best equipment, best riders, best staff, and the best organisation. To be a part of a team like this in my first professional season is an honour.”
He said that year one will be about learning as much as possible from the other riders, plus the coaches and staff.
“I tend to be a climber or a GC rider, which is a good role to have on this team. There are a lot of older riders who are similar to me in that respect, and I want to learn as much as I can from them. I’m excited to work with this team and I want to progress and develop with them.”
Fellow American and former top three finisher in the Tour de France, Bobby Julich, will be one of those who will work closely with the riders as they develop. He paid tribute to USA Cycling and Bontrager Livestrong for developing them this far, and said he’s looking forward to further honing their ability.
“Ian and Joe are two of the most talented under-23 riders in the world and we will offer them the best possible race and training programmes to aid their progression,” he vowed. “We see this as a long-term project at Team Sky and it’ll be exciting for everyone involved.
“We must be doing something right if they’ve chosen to sign for us over the American teams. I followed a similar path during my racing career, went through a lot of the same things they are going through at the moment, and I think we can help them a lot.”