England from Australia to US to Italy

Pro rider Richard England has raced in Australia and the United States and is now ready to take on Europe. The Australian has signed for the Italian Continental team Amore e Vita-McDonald's in the coming season.

The 27 year-old sprinter won the fifth stage of the Tour de Georgia this year for the Bissel Pro Cycling Team, for which he has ridden under its various team names since 2005.

England wants to establish himself as "a competitive and dangerous rider in Europe," he told Cyclingnews. "I want to be a hard worker for my team and also to make the most of my opportunities when I have them. I would love to walk away from my first season in Europe with some wins under my belt and also to be looked upon as a valued team member once the season has finished."

The Australian is eager to discover European pro racing. "I look forward to seeing what European races can offer me and really have not much of an idea about which ones I will target," the Melbourne native continued. "My strength is on the flat windy roads and the short steep climbs, so without having planned my racing calendar, I'm sure these will be the style of races that I will target for the year."

The team is also looking for England to race in the United States, which is fine by him. "I similarly look forward to returning to the US to race against many of the people who I have befriended the past five years." He also has a special reason for wanting to do well there, wanting to "prove to my old team that they made a big mistake when planning for their programme in 2009" by not keeping him on the team.

England started out on the track, winning several national titles and having top finishes in World Cup meets over the years. He turned his attention fully to the road in 2008, and among his other results, had top ten finishes in four stages of the Tour de Georgia, including his stage win.