It has been announced that reigning New Zealand road race champion James Fouchet will race the remaining stages of the season with Australian WorldTour team Mitchelton Scott after the World Championships in Yorkshire this week.

The 21-year-old Fouchet will ride the 2019 season with Team Wiggins-Lecolle, returning from New Zealand at the beginning of the year, where he won both the national championship road race and the under-23 time trial title. [The all-rounder finished 14th in Paris-Roubaix (under 23) in June and won mountain prizes in three stage races: the Tour of Antalya in Turkey, the Volta ao Alentejo in Portugal, and Le Triptyque des Mont et Chateaux in Belgium.

Fouchet is currently representing New Zealand at the World Championships in Yorkshire, England, where he placed 44th in the U23 individual time trial on Tuesday. He will start the U23 road race on Friday before his first race with Mitchelton Scott at the Tour of Croatia next week.

"This opportunity means a lot to me. 'I've wanted to be part of the pro peloton ever since I started cycling and this is a big step towards that. I look forward to learning from everyone and taking steps into the future.

"I plan on competing in some tough races the rest of the year. Whenever the races get a little tougher, I'm always up for doing my job and I like to get involved."

"I want to show what I can do and maybe have a chance to get into the breakaway. But I still have a lot to learn and I also think it's a big step up. It would be great to run some races at Mitchelton Scott and show the Kiwi ferns."