Team Sky's 2016 signings: A closer look at the new arrivals
By Matt Westby
Last Updated: 02/01/16 2:26pm
Team Sky have announced seven new signings for the 2016 season.
Some are household names, but others are less well known.
Here, with help from Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford, we take a closer look at the British squad's latest acquisitions...
Michal Kwiatkowski
Age: 25.
Nationality: Polish.
Rider type: All-rounder.
Signed from: Etixx - Quick-Step.
Biggest wins: World road race (2014), Amstel Gold Race (2015), Volta ao Algarve overall (2014), Strade Bianche (2014).
Kwiatkowski is one of the most admired and multi-talented riders in the world. He can climb, time trial and even win sprint finishes. He is a specialist in the hilly Ardennes classics but is just as adept at week-long stages races. There is also potential for him to mature into a Grand Tour contender.
Brailsford says: "We would like to think that we could add value to his career and offer him an opportunity to develop with Team Sky in both his one-day racing and stage racing. He is a future talent and he can keep getting better. His progression is what we are interested in and being part of that development."
Mikel Landa
Age: 25.
Nationality: Spanish.
Rider type: Climber.
Signed from: Astana.
Biggest wins: Two Giro d'Italia stage wins (2015), one Vuelta a Espana stage win (2015).
Landa is arguably among the top five climbers in the world, excelling just as well on extremely steep gradients as long, shallow climbs. So far, he has spent his career working mainly as a domestique, but a series of outstanding performances in 2015 suggested he can step seamlessly up to a leadership role and deliver wins.
Brailsford says: "He has shown that he is one of the best climbers in the world, but the next thing is, can he lead a team and can he lead a grand tour? He is only young, only 25, but he speaks very good English and comes from a good background, and we are very excited about the opportunity to have a young rider who we can hopefully develop over the coming years."
Benat Intxausti
Age: 29.
Nationality: Spanish.
Rider type: Climber.
Signed from: Movistar.
Biggest wins: Two Giro d'Italia stage wins (2013 and 2015), one Vuelta a Espana stage win (2012).
Intxausti is a climbing specialist who has spent the past five years working predominantly as a domestique for the likes of Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde. On the occasions he has been let off the leash, he has delivered, winning three grand tour stages and securing the overall titles at the Vuelta Asturias in 2012 and Tour of Beijing in 2013. Likely to spend most of his time at Team Sky helping Chris Froome and Landa.
Brailsford says: "Benat has the capability to do two things: he can perform in his own right and also he can contribute to a team effort where required. We wanted to have him so that we have a strong team when we go for the very big races, but also that he has an opportunity to perform in his own right."
Michal Golas
Age: 31.
Nationality: Polish.
Rider type: All-rounder.
Signed from: Etixx - Quick-Step.
Biggest wins: Polish national road race championship (2012).
Golas joins fellow Pole Kwiatkowski in making the switch to Team Sky from Etixx - Quick-Step and is likely to become a key domestique for his compatriot in the Ardennes classics and week-long stage races.
Brailsford says: "Michal is some who Michal Kwiatkowski knows well. He is a strong, solid all-rounder who will really fit into the engine room of the team and offer a robustness that we really need in that area. We are really excited to have him coming on board."
Danny van Poppel
Age: 22.
Nationality: Dutch.
Rider type: Sprinter.
Signed from: Trek Factory Racing.
Biggest wins: Vuelta a Espana stage win (2015).
Van Poppel is an up-and-coming sprint talent and made his big breakthrough by winning a stage of last month's Vuelta. He doesn't yet have the raw pace of the likes of Mark Cavendish or Marcel Kittel, but he could perform well in the sprinters' classics.
Brailsford says: "We are excited about Danny. He is only young and burst on to the scene at a very young age - he was one of the youngest riders ever to start the Tour de France. He won a stage of the Vuelta a Espana recently, which was a terrific victory, but we see him fitting into our classics group and we are excited to have him."
Gianni Moscon
Age: 21.
Nationality: Italian.
Rider type: All-rounder.
Signed from: Zalf Euromobil Desiree Fior (amateur).
Biggest wins: Under-23 Giro di Lombardia (2014), Italian under-23 road race (2015).
Moscon is one of the brightest young amateur prospects in the sport. He is predominantly a climber but also has all-round talents, so he could perform well in a variety of races. He already has some high-profile amateur wins to his name, as well as an impressive second place in this year's under-23 version of the Tour of Flanders.
Brailsford says: "Gianni has performed consistently well in the under-23 ranks. I would say he is Italy's best under-23 this year. He is strong, he can climb and he has got all-round ability. He is very stable, very level-headed, he has been coached well and he is very much ready for that next step. Hopefully we can provide him with the opportunity and the platform to progress in the next couple of years."
Alex Peters
Age: 21.
Nationality: British.
Rider type: Climber.
Signed from: SEG Racing.
Biggest win: Stage of the Tour de Bretagne (2015).
Similar to Moscon, Peters is an all-rounder who is at his best going uphill. His immediate future appears to be in week-long stage races, but he has ambitions to become a Grand Tour rider long term.
Brailsford says: "With a lot of the young British riders, we try to keep an eye on them and monitor their progress, and in Alex, we saw that he has got a big talent. The two questions you ask yourself are: how big is that talent and to what extent can that individual exploit that talent? This year, the team that he was in, they did a really good job and he did really well, and we felt that if he steps up now, we can help his future development and that he is ready for that step up. All round he is a good rider, he is a good climber and he is ready for the next challenge."
