Owain Doull has reportedly turned down a contract with Europcar in order to ride for the Bradley Wiggins' new team.
In October, CW reported that the Welshman was set to sign for the French outfit, but in an interview with Tom Cary of the Telegraph, Doull admitted that at the age of 21 the WorldTour team may not be the right team to develop his career at this stage.
“I'm not going to ride for Europcar next year," he said. “It was meant to happen but I decided to go somewhere else. I think for me, in terms of my development and my future for the next few years, it's a better decision.”
“Obviously I do want to turn pro,” he added. “But I think maybe a team like Europcar is not really the best place to go if you're not sure you're ready. So yeah I made the decision to hold back and wait another year.”
The 21-year-old, who rode for An Post-Chain Reaction in 2014, told Cary that riding on the track at Rio 2016 is still on his radar, having considered moving to the road full time.
Doull believes that riding with Wiggins’ team in the year before the Games would help him get in the best possible shape to ensure selection for the Team Pursuit.
CW reported in October that riders such as Andy Tennant and Mark Christian look set to ride for Wiggins’ team, with Tennant calling it the “obvious move”.
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