South Australia.com-AIS rider, Matt Goss, has signed a three-year contract to ride with Team CSC, the world's top-ranked professional team, from 2007. The 19 year-old Tasmanian has had an outstanding year of success, posting six victories in Europe so far this season and is currently wearing the race leader's jersey in the Tour of Britain.
"I'm very excited to be going to one of the world's top teams," said Goss, who fielded offers from four other ProTour teams. "I believe CSC offers me the best opportunity to develop as a professional cyclist and they also support my dream of riding for Australia on the track at the Beijing Olympic Games."
Earlier this year, Goss was a member of the Australian teams pursuit quartet that claimed gold at the world track championships and silver at the Commonwealth Games, and CSC has agreed to release him for national team track commitments until Beijing 2008. Goss is also excited about joining fellow Australians Stuart O'Grady and Luke Roberts, who currently ride with the CSC team.
"I think I can learn a lot from Stuey [O'Grady], not only on the road but also in terms of combining a road career with track ambitions," said Goss.
"In Goss, we have one of the cycling sport's greatest talents at the moment," said CSC team manager Bjarne Riis. "His results speak for themselves and it will be very exciting to follow his career over the next few years. He's already shown that he's able to do well among the pros, and by signing a three-year contract with Team CSC, he'll have ample opportunity to progress. He comes highly recommended by Stuart O'Grady, whose opinion I value a lot, of course."
The South Australia.com-AIS was launched this year as part of the Cycling Australia-AIS high performance program, with the aim of preparing young riders for the challenges of a professional cycling career. Team Director, Brian Stephens, says whilst disappointed to be losing Goss from the team, he is proud of the teenager's accomplishments and of the fact the team has acted as a launching pad for Goss.
"He has had such a great season and is such a super talent that it was inevitable he would seize the opportunity to step up to the ProTour ranks," said Stephens. "It was a matter of finding the best fit with a team that would look after him and his development, and he has found that with CSC."
Goss has also been selected in the Australian 'Cyclones' Under-23 team at the road cycling world championships being staged in Salzburg, Austria from September 19, where he will line up in the U23 men's road race.
