Tayler Wiles signs for Orica-AIS

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Up and coming talent Tayler Wiles will race in Orica-AIS colours in 2016, after signing a contract with the Australian squad. The 26-year-old, Wiles has been racing with the Velocio-SRAM team (formerly Specialized-Lululemon) for the past three seasons but was forced to find a new home when the team disbanded at the end of this season.

“I am really excited about 2016 for so many reasons,” Wiles said in a team press release from the team. “I've always really loved and respected Orica-AIS’ racing style, being more aggressive and opportunistic.”

“They have historically been a team whose tactics are hard to read and who plays to the strengths of each rider on any given day. I'm also just so excited to race with the group of girls that are on the team. They have already been so incredibly welcoming and I can tell they know how to have fun racing their bikes.”

Wiles turned professional in 2013 after a successful season competing with the US national squad. 2015 has been a standout season for the young American, winning the Tour of New Zealand, a stage of the women’s US Pro Challenge and a stage, plus the overall, at the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche. She also made her second appearance at the World Championships where her national teammate Megan Guarnier took third.

After such a big year, Wiles is looking to ramp things up next season.

“I have big goals for 2016 in time trials and on the road,” she said. “With it being an Olympic year you have to throw everything you have into training and recovery in an effort to perform early in the lead up to selection and I am so excited to be racing on a team that I know will support my goals 100 per cent.”

Wiles joins Annemiek Van Vleuten and, Velocio teammate, Loren Rowney who will both move to the Orica-AIS team this winter, while most of last year’s roster has extended.

“Tayler is really on the up and up and is carrying a lot of momentum with her,” said Orica-AIS sport director Gene Bates. “She was a really big asset to Velocio-SRAM in terms of producing power and especially in the time trial."

“I really think that is what she will bring to us - a huge amount of firepower and we probably haven’t seen exactly what she can do with that yet. She won the Tour of Ardeche and the Tour of New Zealand overall so she can certainly climb. It’s really exciting to be able to work with someone with that much talent who is really on the up and up.