Bontrager rider won 2013 Tour de Beauce and was second in the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Days after it was confirmed that Peter Stetina was leaving Garmin-Sharp and taking up a contract in 2014 with the BMC Racing Team, the Argyle squad has announced that double American Under 23 TT champion Nathan Brown is coming on board.
The 21 year old Tennessee rider has inked a deal with the WorldTour outfit, moving across from the Bontrager Cycling Team.
He won the Tour de Beauce this year and, in addition to netting another national U23 TT title, also finished second in the US U23 road race. He was also a fine second in the espoir Liège-Bastogne-Liège, an important pointer to future success.
The results mark him out as a gifted rider and he will get to continue his development when he turns pro with his next team.
“It was a easy decision for me to join Team Garmin-Sharp,” he stated. “The moment I talked to Jonathan Vaughters I knew this was the team I wanted to be on. Ever since I was a junior I watched his team in the Tour de France, and I knew one day that I wanted to ride for them. It's a dream come true and I'm so excited to race for Team Garmin-Sharp next season.”
Vaughters has gained a reputation as a manager who is good at identifying and developing young talent. While Brown has already been ‘discovered,’ the task of helping him reach his potential is an important one.
“One of our founding goals is develop the next generation of cycling champions and that makes Nate a perfect fit for our team,” the Slipstream Sports/Garmin Sharp CEO explained. “He is a talented rider on the road and in time trials, and we look forward to working with him next year. He’ll be another great, young addition to our squad.”
Brown has already shown he has ability; now his priority is to build experience and to further his progression. He’s at an age where he should continue to improve for several more years, but the extent of that will depend on how well he and the team will handle things going forward.
“My goal for next season is to learn as much as I can. There are so many great riders on the team and I am looking forward to any advice they can give me,” he said. “I would love to come back and possibly do some of the USA races; being a young American that would be an amazing opportunity, but my focus is on learning everything I can and being a good teammate at Garmin-Sharp.”