News: NFTO Pro Cycling Team Signs Adam Blythe

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The latest and final we understand signing for the NFTO Cycling Team is Adam Blythe who brings to 14 the number of riders signed.

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Whilst it would seem that the top domestic team of 2013, UK Youth, will not be on the roads in 2014, a ‘new’ team looks set to tackle the challenge of taking on that mantle, NFTO Pro Cycling. Around for two years and a team whose riders have been prolific winners including classics like the Jock Wadley, in 2014 the team steps up to UCI level.

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To do that, there has been a lot of investment in some household names in cycling such as; Dean and Russell Downing along with Sam Harrison, Matt Rowe, Dale Appleby, James McCallum, Hugh Wilson, James Lewis, Sam Williams, Jon Mould, Ryan Bevis, James Lowsley Williams and Joshua Hunt. Now you can add Adam Blythe to that list.

The team have been chatting with the BMC rider and today (Tuesday) the deal was done in the grand setting of Monaco. Adam, says his training partner of many years Dean Downing, knows how good the level is in the UK is now and is looking forward to winning bike races again.

Dean also admits that Adam, still only 24 years old, is keen to ride with Dean in his last season as a professional which he admits is very exciting. Dean says Adam can win many type of bike races from those in a bunch kick (he’s been third on a stage of the Giro) to winning solo and from small breaks.

Adam’s signing is expected to be the last one by NFTO making fourteen riders, a good number for a team to have to juggle riders around during a lengthy season. Illness, injury or just choosing riders suited to a specific parcours means having more six or eight riders which is normal for a race. Five in the case of the Tour Series.

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Dean admitted that knowing all the riders having raced against or with them over the years means next year being in the same team will be a lot of fun. The team has quite a varied squad with riders from the original squad pre-UCI (2012/13) along with the ‘hitters’ brought in recently to strengthen it ready for a full on onslaught in 2014 here and abroad.

The team not only has star riders but a star DS in Sean Yates and star coach in Trainsharp’s Jon Sharples. It’s all part of a package to give the riders the best possible chance of achieving success in 2014. Dean admits he’s quite excited to be working alongside Sean and learning a lot about the business of a director sportif.

Team; Adam Blythe, Dean and Russell Downing, Sam Harrison, Matt Rowe, Dale Appleby, James McCallum, Hugh Wilson, James Lewis, Sam Williams, Jon Mould, Ryan Bevis, James Lowsley Williams, Joshua Hunt and owner rider John Wood.

We’ll have more on the team soon on VeloUK.net

INFO: What is NFTO – Find out here …

 

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