Team Sky have officially confirmed the signing of Olympic gold medallist Owain Doull for the remainder of the 2016 season as a stagiaire and as a full-time professional from 2017.
The Welshman joins up with the team after taking gold in the team pursuit at the Olympic Games in Rio, but the announcement of his signing to the British squad was let slip in May after Bradley Wiggins revealed where Doull was heading at the Tour of California.
23-year-old Doull joins from Team Wiggins, where he achieved success in the Tour of Britain last year finishing third overall. He’ll join fellow Welsh riders Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe in the Sky squad.
“It’s always been a bit of a boyhood dream to try and join Sky,” said Doull. “So to finally be at a stage where I’m about to start racing for the team, and then joining the team properly in 2017, is a bit surreal.”
Doull’s first race for Sky has yet to be announced, although he could feature in the Tour of Britain line-up with the race beginning on Sunday, September 4 in Glasgow.
>>> Tour of Britain 2016 route: stage by stage
Team principal Dave Brailsford said he was delighted to sign-up another young British talent for the squad.
“Owain has consistently put in excellent performances on the track and the road and we think he has the potential to be an important part of the team,” Brailsford said.
“From a personal perspective it’s always great to be bringing young British talent into Team Sky and it reflects very well on the investment and support Sky has provided through the British Cycling programme, the Wiggins team and, of course, Team Sky.
“We’re looking forward to having Owain as part of the team.”
