Gregory Brenes (Champion System)(Image credit: Jon Devich)
After winning stage five, Gregory Brenes (Movistar Team) became the new leader of the Vuelta a Costa Rica.(Image credit: Team Movistar)
Eloy Teruel(Image credit: Team Movistar)
The Jamis-Hagens Berman p/b Sutter Home team has announced the signing of Gregory Brenes, the Costa Rican who finished sixth overall in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge as a trainee with Champion System this year. Spaniard Eloy Teruel of the Movistar team also announced he is moving across to the American squad.
The two riders will help to fill the gap left by the departure of UCI Americas Tour winner Janier Acevedo, who signed with Garmin-Sharp for 2014.
"The team exists to compete at a high level," team manager Sebastian Alexandre said. "Even with Janier joining Garmin, I am confident in the new riders we have signed for the 2014 season. Our goal is to achieve the same or better results in 2014, as we did in 2013."
Alexandre said he is pleased to see Acevedo moving to the sport's top tier. "When I saw Janier, a couple of years ago, I said to myself, 'He is the one! He paid off with a lot of hard work, and some great performances, but our whole team really stepped up last season. I am working now on finalize our 2014 roster and I am very please to announce some great riders for the upcoming season. We are building a super strong squad."
Brenes, 25 from Costa Rica, showed his class in the USA Pro Challenge when he finished on the queen stage to Beaver Creek in fifth, behind Tejay van Garderen, Acevedo, Mathias Frank and Tom Danielson.
Teruel, 30, has combined track racing with his road career, with his most successful result a silver medal in the points race in Minsk this year.
Also joining the squad is American neo-pro Ian Crane, who has come up through the Hagens Berman-sponsored development programmes.
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"I think I might be the first person.. maybe ever... to progress from Junior - Amateur - Elite Amateur - Professional under the same sponsor," Crane wrote on his blog. "I rode as a junior for Rad Racing when they had support from Hagens Berman, I rode as a Cat. 3 and Cat. 2 on the Hagens Berman club team, graduated to the Hagens Berman Elite team when I got my Cat 1 upgrade, and now have signed with a professional team co-sponsored by Hagens Berman."
