Cannondale-Garmin sign Bevin, Mullen

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The Cannondale-Garmin team announced the acquisitions of New Zealander Patrick Bevin and Irishman Ryan Mullen for two years. Bevin is a familiar face in the USA, having raced with the Bissell Pro Cycling team for four seasons, winning stages in the Redlands and Merco stage races, and the 2012 Thompson Bucks County Classic.

A formidable sprinter who can get over the hills, Bevin has chalked up a number of victories this season with the Avanti Racing Team, including stages of the Tours of Korea and Taiwan, and the Herald Sun Tour.

"Patrick has shown great diversity in skills from bunch sprints to climbing. He is a rider who seems to have it all and he’ll be a great addition to the team," said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports.

Bevin is of course thrilled to get an opportunity to race in the WorldTour for the next two seasons. "I am delighted to be joining Cannondale-Garmin for the next two years," Bevin said. "To race at the World Tour level is a big opportunity for me and I hope to play an important role in many team performances and victories over the coming seasons."

Mullen keeps the Irish representation in the Cannondale-Garmin team following the exit of Dan Martin. The 21-year-old was the silver medallist in the 2014 U23 time trial world championship, losing out to Campbell Flakemore by fractions of a second.

This year he won the Irish time trial title, was third overall in the An Post Rás, and just off the podium in the European U23 time trial championship.

"Ryan is one of the best, if not the best, up and coming TT talents in the world," Vaughters said. "It will be exciting to see how he progresses as a rider."

Mullen added: "For me, Cannondale-Garmin is the perfect learning environment. They have a wealth of experience between riders and staff and working with them, I will hopefully make big steps forward over the coming seasons."