In 2018 Jason Lowndes moves down from the Pro Continental Israel Cycling Academy to the Continental level with JLT-Condor. Employed in 2017 as the main sprinter, the 22-year-old came close but ultimately didn’t hit the mark and as a result, no contract extension was forthcoming.
For the 2018 season, Lowndes has inked a deal with John Herety's JLT-Condor team that on paper is a Continental squad but, in reality, has a management structure, race programme and list of sponsors equal to some Pro Continental squads.
Importantly, Herety's team has also been a proven development team and Lowndes is confident he can return to the Pro-Continental ranks with a strong 2018.
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"I need to make it clear that I don't see going to JLT as a backward step at all," Lowndes told Cyclingnews. "I think it is the right step in terms of my development and experience, I think I will get a lot of opportunities to actually sprint when racing with them."
Lowndes' professional cycling career begun in 2015 with the Garneau-Québecor squad but he counts the 2016 season with Drapac as his first 'real' season. Third on the final stage of the Tour de San Luis last year, behind the duelling Italian duo of Jakub Mareczko and Elia Viviani, Lowndes was quick to announce his sprint talents. An on again, off again season followed as he fell ill on several occasions. A sixth place in the U23 World Championships road race finalised the season and helped secure his deal with Israel Cycling Academy and status as the primary sprinter.
"I was given the opportunity as the main sprinter. Which I what I wanted and I am grateful for the opportunity I got but unfortunately I found there was a lot of races I went to that only had one sprint opportunity for the whole tour," he said of the 2017 season. "For the early part of the year, I didn't perform well at all. I was very slow to get going and that left me in a position where I had to work for other guys in the team and leading them out. Which I took full responsibility for and just got on with my job."
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