Garmin Chipotle considers possible signings

By Shane Stokes

The Tour de France is the busiest time for finalising rider destinations for the season ahead, and this year is no exception. Rumours and half-confirmed stories about who is going where have already been doing the rounds.

One team that is still undecided is Garmin Chipotle H3O; team manager Jonathan Vaughters told Cyclingnews that he may sign one or two new riders, but that this was uncertain.

"We won't be able to do much [this year] because most of our guys are on two-year contracts and, as a Pro Continental team, we have a 25 rider limit," he said this week. "We will take maybe one guy, perhaps two… there won't be more than two. And I don't really know who that would be right now…it would have to be somebody who obviously fits into what we have already made. It would be a carefully thought-out signing, that is for sure."

As a team with a very strong anti-doping culture, Vaughters knows he has to be certain he is signing a rider who subscribes to this stance. The huge volume of internal tests carried out makes it crucial that nobody strays over the line. Any new signing would also have to sync with the personalities of the riders and management, so that too is a consideration.

Right now, he is not certain what he will do. "If we are going to get somebody new on the team, there are two ways that I would go. We are either going to get a completely very young rider who is a big talent that we want to develop, or else a big-name.

"We have got a lot of really solid guys like Will [Frischkorn] or Danny [Pate], so I am sort of more on the scout for either a pure young talent or a sprinter who can win stages for us. Or maybe a GC rider. But honestly, if you asked me who that was, I haven't got too deep into that yet. Like I said, I really only have one place, so I'm really waiting for the right moment and the right person.

"I am going to take my time and see if somebody pops up that I want. I will also do my due diligence on them."