Road racer Adam Blythe (Omega Pharma Lotto) will be competing in the Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge (LIMBC) in late October. The sprinter is the latest roadie to sign up after Chris Froome (Sky).
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The British-born Blythe, who this week is racing the Tour de Wallone-Picardie (Circuit Franco Belge) as defending champion, confirmed that he will join Vuelta a Espana runner-up Froome to test his mountain bike skills on the island of Langkawi.
Blythe, who turns 22 this week, has already spent two and a half seasons in the professional peloton and twice ridden some of cycling's greatest monuments, including the Giro d'Italia and both the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix as right-hand man to fellow teammate and world number one Philippe Gilbert.
Despite having such an important supporting role, Blythe still managed to open his professional account in his first full season in 2010 with four wins and a fifth place in stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia. The promising youngster is now looking to add to that tally in the last remaining weeks of the season before heading to Malaysia for the LIMBC.
The attendance of both Blythe and Froome at the Langkawi event could well see a trend for top road riders to try their hand at mountain biking after a busy season.
The Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge will run from October 17 to 23.