British time trial champion Alex Dowsett has signed a contract with the Israel Cycling Academy for 2020. The 31-year-old spent the past two years with Katusha-Alpecin, but the team is set to disband at the end of December, with Israel Cycling Academy taking over the team's World Tour license.
"I think ICA is a very progressive team, focused on performance without compromise," Dowsett said in a statement released by the future team.
"There seems to be a modern mindset. As a rider that's all I ask. I also think a name change should be considered. Stepping up to the World Tour means that the Israel Cycling Academy has graduated from an academy to a great team." Dowsett dreams of representing Great Britain at next year's Tokyo Olympics, and his fifth-place finish in the time trial at the World Championships in Yorkshire boosted his chances of making the squad. A time trial and prologue specialist, he believes his new team will back him to focus on the Tokyo Games.
"I am looking forward to it and strongly focused on the Olympics. Of course, first I need to be selected for the national team. After that, I want to win gold in Tokyo. The Israel Cycling Academy is a perfect fit for these goals." [Daniel Martin joins from UAE Team Emirates, while Andre Greipel moved out of his contract with Arkea earlier this year.
Reto Hollenstein also joined the Israel Cycling Academy from Katusha Alpecin.
"I will be part of a great team that has grown amazingly over the last few years. I want to share my experience and strengthen the team. We can achieve all our goals and share our successes. I want to perform at my best and look forward to working with the team leaders."
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