Avancini joins Cannondale team for 2015

Top Brazilian cross country mountain bike racer Henrique Avancini will join Cannondale Factory Racing for the 2015 and 2016 season. Avancini makes the move from the Caloi team, Cannondale's Brazilian sister brand. He is a national mountain bike hero as well as a 2016 Olympic contender for the Rio Games.

"Joining a World Cup team like Cannondale Factory Racing is awesome," said Avancini. "Being part of an elite team will prepare me for a potential spot at the Rio Olympic Games in my country. I'm ready to give it my all in 2015."

After placing second at his very first race, Avancini has dominated in mountain biking over the years. In 2006, at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championship, the then 17-year-old took the best result achieved by a Brazilian in the history of the sport. In 2009, he moved from Brazil to join a professional cycling team in Europe, where he honed his skills and gained elite status in mountain bike racing.

In 2012, Avancini returned to Brazil to compete for a spot on the Brazilian cross country Olympic team. He received the second highest score and qualified as an alternate. In 2013, he landed another first for Brazil, winning a round of the International MTB Bundesliga in Münsingen, Germany again strong competition.

During the 2015 race season, Avancini will continue to aim for consistent top 10 finishes and World Cup podiums.

"We're thrilled to add Henrique to the team," said Scott Rittschof, General Manager of Cannondale. "He is a great young talent with an incredible passion for the sport. With this new addition, we are continuing to position ourselves as leaders in the sport of global cross country mountain bike racing and set the direction towards the Olympic Games in Rio di Janeiro in 2016."

Avancini's signing with Cannondale Factory Racing comes at an opportune time for the Brazilian cycling community as Cannondale opens a new store in Belo Horizonte, the country's mountain bike mecca, known as the "Utah" of Brazil. The signing and shop opening were recently celebrated with a party hosted by CFR rider Manuel Fumic.