Chris Butler joins Team SmartStop

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Mike Creed spent his first race in the director's seat for the Smartstop team.(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)

Team SmartStop has added more firepower to its 2015 roster, signing former BMC rider Chris Butler for next season. The 26-year-old from South Carolina rode with Hincapie Sportswear in 2014, following two years at Champion System and two years with BMC.

“[SmartStop director Mike] Creed hit me up and I took the call,” Butler said. “I just started asking a lot, a lot of questions, and the more I listened and asked, it just sounded better and better. It looks like they're going to do California, Utah and Colorado next year. I'm pretty sure they have the invite to [Tour of] Langkawi. They're working really hard to get into [Tour de] San Luis. That right there, that's the platform I want to get the results.”

“That was a massive carrot for me to come on board,” he said. “That's where I want to be. You get to do some of the biggest races, but yet you still get to race the big US races. So that's what they're building for, and I think they're pretty darn serious about going Pro Conti in 2016. You know, 2015 sounds awesome, but 2016 is pretty exciting, too. There are so many variables, it just made it sound like the right decision.”

Although Butler signed a one-year deal with the team through the end of 2015, he hopes to have his foot in the door if the program does jump from its current spot in cycling's third division to the next level. After all the team's success this year, there are going to be plenty of people knocking on Creed's door, Butler said, and those numbers will increase if the team moves to Pro Continental for 2016.

“And with the restructure of the WorldTour in 2017, with teams cutting back from 30 riders to, what is it, 22, there's going to massive cuts next year, and hell, it's going to be a dogfight for good contracts next year,” he said. “So I'd like to get in now and be taken care of. It just seems like the right chance. Every year they say it's a shit year, but next year is going to be one of the worst years with everyone cutting back.”

“For the sprint train, they have Jure, Marcotte and McCabe,” Butler said. “There's a lot of horsepower there. So I think the gaps they were trying to fill was time trialist and maybe a climber. I guess that's me and Evan [Huffman]. They probably want Evan to win a few time trials, and for me it's to be that climber in the lead group and go for GC. I think that's what they needed, and that's what they addressed. I think we should have a strong team.”

“I'm realistic,” he said. “I don't think I'm going to win Utah or Colorado next year, but I need to turn the top 15s into something close to a top five. For the guys who step up from Continental to WorldTour, that's kind of what you need are those top 10s. I think we can do that with a good alliance. So I'm excited. I think Creed can give me that extra two per cent to help change the 12th place in Utah into a sixth or seventh place, which I think you need.”

“He is pretty darn genuine,” Butler said of Hincapie, who admitted performance-enhancing drug use during his time with the US Postal team. “He honestly wants what's best for me. And for him to want me to take this rather than just riding for his team just for image – deep down he's a good guy and he just wants what's best for me. We still ride all the time, and he's one of my best friends. He'll still be cheering for me and still working with me to get me better.”