British twins Adam and Simon Yates will turn professional with Australian outfit Orica-GreenEDGE next year after penning neo-pro contracts with the team.
Simon, who won the world points race in Minsk earlier this year, added to his growing reputation with a stunning stage win at the Tour of Britain while representing Great Britain.
It followed two stage wins at the Tour de l’Avenir, where identical twin Adam, who rode for French amateur team CC Etupes this year, came second overall.
And now the rising stars will be able to continue their development together with Orica-GreenEDGE, to the delight of general manager Shayne Bannan.
“It’s clear they’re both big talents,” he said. “We’re very excited to be a part of their development.
“Adam and Simon had an outstanding Tour de l’Avenir. It’s an indication of their climbing abilities and this is an area we really want to develop within the team.
“I expect them to develop fairly quickly. I’m confident that we’ll see some really good things from them in the future.”
Both brothers had been linked with several professional teams in recent months, with Sky and FDJ.fr rumoured to be among them.
However, Adam insists Orica-GreenEDGE were always their first choice and he expressed his delight to be racing with his brother.
“It’s a good opportunity in terms of development,” he said. “From everything we’ve heard and seen, we know the team looks after their young guys very well.
“We’ve been apart now for a couple of years. It’s never been a struggle, but it’s always better for us when we’re together.
“We each got a few offers from other teams that were just for one of us. The best options were the ones from teams that were keen on us both.”
Simon echoed the sentiments of his brother and hopes a focus on development in the next few years will help them follow Cam Meyer’s lead – another ex-track cyclist now excelling at Orica-GreenEDGE.
“This seemed like the right place for us,” he said. “Knowing the way the team has developed the young Aussies was an important part of our decision. Look at Cam Meyer – we’d love to develop the way he has.
“I see these first years as being all about development. I want to help the team however I can and absorb as much as I can in the process.”
Adam also insists he is not looking too far ahead, but he admitted riding a Grand Tour is an ambition he hopes to fulfill in the not too distant future.
“I’m really focused on development,” he said. “In the second year, I hope there might be an opportunity to ride a Grand Tour but I can’t name anything much more specific than that until I see how things go the first year.”
