The Movistar team announced Friday the signing of two neo pros, American Matteo Jorgenson and German Juli Holman.

Jorgenson, a Boise, Idaho native, was racing for Jelly Belly in 2018 but decided to move to Europe and race for the Chambery CCF amateur team after the team folded. The move paid off with a fourth place overall at the Ronde de l'Isard, a points prize at the Tour de l'Avenir, and a traineeship with AG2R La Mondiale.

"It is a great honor to be given the chance to step up to a successful team like the Movistar team," Jorgensen said in a press release. 'After a year of adapting to all of life in Europe and undergoing a major transformation, I feel ready to make this jump. I am truly grateful to Chambéry Cyclism Formation and AG2R for believing in me and giving me the platform to succeed this year."

According to the U23cyclingzone blog, Jorgenson immersed himself in French culture and pushed himself to become fluent enough to enter the inner circle of the team.

Like his American teammate Quinn Simmons, who signed with Trek-Segafredo, he chose to move up to the World Tour at age 20.

"Staying in the U23s for another year has potential positives, such as reaching the next level or getting a few wins from third or fourth place, but it also comes with the risk of never getting this chance again. There is also a risk in moving up to a higher level at a young age that maybe you won't be able to adapt to that level right away, or that after two years of a neo-pro contract, you may have nothing to show for it and may not get another ride.

"But the biggest thing for me right now is that I can really start my career as a pro cyclist and really dive deep into it. Right now I'm a complete amateur, I'm not getting paid, I have to fend for myself.

Movistar plans to have Jorgensen compete in a number of UCI.1 and .HC races next season. He is looking forward to starting his professional career.

Holman raced for the Heizomat Radonet team this year and won a bronze medal at the German Individual Time Trial Championships; in 2018 he ran as a trainee for the Katusha-Alpecin team.

"I am very excited to be racing for the Movistar team for the next two years. 'It's a dream come true that I've had since I was a kid. I am motivated to perform at a higher level with a team that I have always respected. I would like to thank Haizomat Radnet for their support over the past two years and Katusha Alpecin for giving me the opportunity to run the stadium in a tough race."