Brit Tao Geoghegan Hart hopes to ride Giro d’Italia as he re-signs with Team Sky

Tao Geoghagen Hart hopes to ride the 2019 Giro d’Italia as he extends his contract with Team Sky.

The 23-year-old rode his second season at WorldTour level this year, finishing his first Grand Tour and supporting the team to major stage race wins.

Geoghegan Hart joined Sky in 2017 from Axeon Hagens Berman and has signed a new two-year contract with the British team.

The London-born rider said: “I definitely want to try and target the Giro for 2019 and go there with everything I learned about Grand Tour racing at the Vuelta, but also the training and build-up to the race.

“Trying to get that right is key as it felt like I didn’t quite get as much from myself performance-wise as I’d hoped in Spain.

“It’s about continuing in the direction I’ve been going and to keep building forwards.”

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This season Geoghegan Hart rode support during Egan Bernal’s wins at the Colombia Oro y Paz and Tour of California stage races, and helped Geraint Thomas to victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

He said: “I’ve gained more WorldTour experience and I’m starting to get closer to a few more significant results.

“I’ve been chipping away on that front and I’ve also gained experience in different roles.

“I was fortunate enough to be road captain in a few others.

“I’ve also been working for some of the bigger names in the team in other races so there’s been some nice variety in that sense.

“I’ve learned some big lessons but overall I’m happy with how it’s gone.”

Team Sky have announced a slew of re-signings in recent weeks, including most recently Owain Doull and Salvatore Puccio.

Egan Bernal has also signed a rare five-year deal, and looks set to become Sky’s Grand Tour leader in the coming years.

These new contracts have come amidst upheaval at Sky’s parent company, Sky plc, which has been bought be an American communication giant and seen it’s chairman depart.

Reflecting on his 2018 season, Geoghegan Hart said: “Colombia came quite unexpectedly really.

“We chanced it with some aggressive tactics on the last day and because of the way the team was riding, and also Egan’s individual brilliance, it paid off.

“That was a really nice way to start the year.”

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He added: “The opposite end of the spectrum is the Dauphine, where we were definitely going in with the expectation of trying to win.

“To see G so dominant with the Tour coming up and to see how he rode was pretty special to be a part of.

“That was the biggest race that I’ve done in my career up until that point, so to come away with the win at the end after four big mountain stages was something I’ll remember for a long time.”