Team Sky today annonuced that 22-year-old Jon Dibben has signed for the team, a move which likely completes the British outfit’s roster for the 2017.
Dibben was signed from Team Wiggins, where he’d spent the previous two years combining road racing with a track schedule. As a result he notched up a world points race title on the track, as well as 2nd at the U23 Tour of Flanders and a top ten in the U23 World Championships on the road.
‘I think on the road it was a really good year,’ Dibben said of move in a statement on the Team Sky website. ‘I hit the ground running at my first couple of races in April. I targeted (under-23) Flanders and that went well. And then once Olympic track selection was made I then really focused back in on the road, and under-23 races like the Tour de l’Avenir and the road worlds. Maybe at the worlds I didn’t get exactly the results that I wanted to but it was the first time I’d had a consistent block on the road. I really enjoyed it and it certainly made me feel that this was what I wanted to do for the next few years, and to commit 100 percent to the road.’
The strong results led to Dibben gaining a stagiaire place with the WorldTour Cannondale-Drapac team half way through 2016, in whose colours he raced the Tour of Utah during the summer, before returning to Team Wiggins for the remainder of the year.
‘It’s very exciting,’ It’s going to be a big change and obviously a big step up, going from Team Wiggins and an academy which is very track-focused, to go into the biggest cycling team in the world. It’s certainly a large step up and it’s a great opportunity to get into the big leagues and see what it’s all about.’
Dibben becomes the third young Brit to be snatched by Team Sky ahead of the 2017 season, joining Tao Geoghegan-Hart and Owain Doull, whose signing’s had aleady been announced.
‘Obviously I know Owain and Tao – they are two of my best mates – so it’s good that we’re all joining the team together. It’s certainly a whole new environment and a different lifestyle. It’s a big change and it’s something I’m looking forward to.’