Tao Geoghegan Hart has a number of goals for the remaining months of the season but the young British rider has decided to put plans of turning professional on hold as he aims to develop in the U23 ranks for one more season.
The 20-year-old will compete in the Tour of Britain as part of a Great Britain U23 team before turning his attention to the World Championships in Richmond, where the national team have a realistic chance of picking up a medal in the road race.
Although the remainder of his racing programme has yet to be announced Geoghegan Hart will also race as stagiaire for Team Sky during the final weeks of the season. Despite interest and offers to turn professional in 2016, the London-based athlete will stick with the American Axeon squad for the coming campaign, a decision he arrived at after consulting a number of members his close knit circle.
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“I think it was just a personal decision and one that I came to with the help of the people that are closest to me including my team manager Axel Merckx, my friends and family and including some who aren’t directly in cycling but were able to give me a more holistic view on life and not really look at the physical side,” he told Cyclingnews.
The prospect of turning professional early on is an appealing one to U23 riders who are keen to move up the ranks as swiftly as possible. The offers can be lucrative, and the race programmes exciting, but Geoghegan Hart believes that his long-term aspirations and future will be best served with another year learning the ropes.
This year Axeon have created a varied programme for him with races in the US, like the Tour of California and Tour of Utah, as well as campaigns in Europe, with a sprinkling of one-day classics and stage races. It has provided Geoghegan Hart with the environment to develop at his own pace and, at only 20, time is certainly on his side.
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