Kocjan signs with SmartStop

Team SmartStop took another step to bolster its stage-race resumé last week by signing Slovenian sprinter Jure Kocjan to its 2014 roster. Kocjan became the first non-Basque rider to sign with Euskaltel-Euskadi, but his tenure came to a close after one season as he was set adrift when the 16-year-old WorldTour team announced it would fold at the end of the 2013 season.

Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.