Team Sky have signed Colombian climbing sensation Egan Bernal, who won two stages and the overall title in the Tour de l’Avenir.
Bernal’s victory at under 23 cycling’s most prestigious race has cemented his reputation as one of the brightest prospects in cycling, having quickly amassed an impressive palmares in just two years as a pro.
Bernal is hoping to continue his rapid development as a next generation GC threat at Team Sky.
“I always dreamed of being with this team. I never thought the opportunity to join would come this fast, so to sign for Team Sky is a dream come true”, said Bernal.
“My first goal with Team Sky is to learn. I want to learn from my teammates and take advantage of the experience that there is in the team.
“I’m excited to be joining Team Sky and I want to contribute as much as I can.”
Team Sky Sport Director Dario Cioni said: “Egan showed really good things last year at Coppi e Bartali and was very impressive for such a young rider. He was consistent and he achieved a lot of good results last year. He’s continued that into this season and has put in some really strong performances.
“He has shown his ability, nowhere more so than with his performances at the Tour de l’Avenir. We are sure we can help him develop over the next years into someone who can become a leader for stage races.”
“Egan has so much potential”, said Team Sky coach Xabier Artetxe. “He has only really spent two years on the road as he came over from mountain biking. His progress in that short period has been excellent, but it means he has so much capacity to get even better as he builds his experience.
“We’re really looking forward to having him as part of our group. It’s exciting for us to have another Colombian rider joining us. The support they get from the Colombian fans is fantastic and is really good for the sport.
“He’s a young rider and his progress will continue as he gets physically stronger. He’ll have time to continue his development with the team and learn everything about how to be the best he can be at the top level. Egan is a very exciting rider.”
