Dimension Data have completed the signings of two young riders, with the Australian Ben O’Connor joining from Avanti-IsoWhey Sports and Ryan Gibbons coming up from Dimension Data’s Continental feeder team.
O’Connor, just 20 years of age, has only been racing for two seasons at Continental level but his performances have been such that he had several suitors offering pro contracts for next year. A natural climber, he won the New Zealand Cycle Classic thanks to a stage win on Admiral Hill, and went on to finish third overall at the Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc.
"Gradual development is what I want to achieve as a rider and to be able to keep progressing as a climber and perhaps get some sort of a result,” he told Cyclingnews in an exclusive interview that will be published later today.
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“Whether that be in young rider classifications or take an opportunity in a breakaway and be the unknown a little it. The main ambition is to keep on developing and become the best rider that I can be."
South African Ryan Gibbons bolsters the team’s African core, having ridden at the World Cycling Centre team and then at the Dimension Data for Qhubeka Continental team last season. The Dimension Data management were convinced he was ready for the professional ranks after a stagiaire stint from this August, in which he competed in a string of late-season one-day races, finishing 12th as the team’s best-placed rider at the Munsterland Giro.
“I am so fortunate and have been privileged to get this wonderful opportunity to join Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka. Coming up from its Continental outfit is going to make the step a lot easier as it’s a familiar environment and both teams use similar systems and there are many other parallels," he said in a statement from the team.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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