Team Sky complete 2017 squad with signing of Jon Dibben from Team Wiggins

22-year-old the latest of three British neo-pros to step up to WorldTour level
Henry Robertshaw

Jon Dibben has been announced as Team Sky‘s sixth and final signing for the 2017 season, after racing as a stagiaire for Cannondale-Drapac at the end of this year.

The 22-year-old from Southampton will make the step up from Team Wiggins after a successful 2016 season that saw him become Points Race world champion, take second place in the U23 Tour of Flanders, and finish in the top ten of the U23 world championships. However, Dibben’s season was not without disappointment, missing out on a spot in the Olympic squad after fracturing his elbow.

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Speaking to the team website Dibben said that he was looking forward to making the step up to a WorldTour team next season.

“It’s very exciting. It’s going to be a big change and obviously a big step up, going from Team Wiggins and an academy which is very track-focused, to go into the biggest cycling team in the world.

“It’s certainly a large step up and it’s a great opportunity to get into the big leagues and see what it’s all about.”

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However Dibben is not being unrealistic as to what will be expected from him in his first season at Sky.

“Your main job as a pro is just to be on it from January to November – the whole year you need to be consistently good. So it’s just getting used to that constant high level, rather than this year where I had my targets and I went in as a team leader. Next year will be much more about learning how the pro racers ride, and the volume of racing I imagine will step up to double if not more. So it will be about getting used to that.”

This should be Team Sky’s last signing at the end of a busy transfer season that has seen it sign young British riders in the form of Tao Geoghegan Hart and Owain Doull from Axeon Hagens Berman and Team Wiggins respectively , as well as diminutive French climber Kenny Elissonde from FDJ, Diego Rosa from Astana, and Lukasz Wisniowski from Etixx-Quick Step.