Tao Geoghegan Hart is a man of surprises. The rider from Hackney, London, was expected to perform in the final mountains or the individual time trial of the Tour de l'Avenir, one of his major goals as an under-23 rider, but he instead decided to attack on Saturday’s opening stage, where he went into a break and took 50 seconds out of the other top contenders. “The race is not over at all, it’s a long way to next Saturday,” Geoghegan Hart told Cyclingnews. “I like this type of racing, quite aggressive and unpredictable.”
His pro contract with Team Sky, announced earlier this week, was also a bit of a surprise. A trainee for the British squad last season, Geoghegan Hart seemed set to sign a contract for 2016 but then delayed his promotion to WorldTour level by one year. That meant he could have chosen another team in between, but he finally opted for the first one, the one logical to him, and reached an agreement with Sky for 2017.
“At the end it was a pretty simple choice,” the 20-year-old explained. “Sky is the best team in the world and this is a dream come true. Now I will have a real opportunity to develop with some of the best athletes in sports, with the best coaching and the best environment, from nutrition to equipment and training programs.”
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Though Sky is definitely one of the best organised teams in the world – and the wealthiest – it has proved a difficult structure for neo-professionals. American Joe Dombrowski, for instance, had some difficulties in adapting when he was signed in 2013, and left for Cannondale after the 2014 season.
For his part, Tao Geoghegan Hart is confident he can “find his place” within Sky in the coming months. “Gianni Moscon turned pro with Sky and he is doing pretty well,” Geoghegan Hart pointed out. “Gianni experienced races such as Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix and he had his chance at the Arctic Race and he won the general classification. Of course every rider is different, but that’s an interesting example.”
Winning is not everything for the British all-rounder just yet, and he would like to experience various kinds of racing before defining his profile as a rider. Geoghegan Hart’s results to date show real versatility, both at the Classics (he was third in the junior Paris-Roubaix, and twice third at the under-23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège), and stage races (second overall at both the Peace Race and Tour de Savoie-Mont Blanc this year). His climbing is promising, as is his ability in the time trial. Asked how he would define himself, he was succinct. “I am a bike racer,” he said, adding: “You must do everything as a rider, at least as an Under 23...”
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