US Continental team also adds Kiwi Alexander Ray, has announced nine riders so far
Image 1 of 5
Miles Scotson (Australia)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Callum Scotson won gold(Image credit: Cycling Australia)
Alexander Ray(Image credit: Karl Hendrikse)
Connor McCutcheon (Airgas-Safeway) makes one more big push on the last lap(Image credit: Marco Quezada/nyvelocity.com)
Griffin Easter (AirGas/Safeway) takes a flier.(Image credit: Marco Quezada/nyvelocity.com)
Team Illuminate, formerly Airgas-Safeway, announced this week that it has signed Australian U23 time trial and road race champion Miles Scotson and his younger brother Callum.
The US Continental team also signed former Silber Pro Cycling rider Alexander Ray of New Zealand, along with US riders Griffin Easter, Connor McCutcheon, Matt Rodrigues and Jason Saltzman. The team previously announced signing Colombian Edwin Avila and Flavio De Luna of Mexico.
Aside from his Australian titles, Miles Scotson, 21, finished seventh at the UCI World Championship U23 time trial in Richmond last September, while Callum Scotson, 19, recently won the Australian Madison title on the track.
“The Scotson brothers are world-class athletes, riders that have the potential to reach the top-level of the sport and we're really proud to have them as part of the team,” said Team Illuminate General Manager Chris Johnson.
Miles Scotson said he will be targeting results in some of the biggest US races next year.
“I have visited America twice now, in 2014 for a training camp with the Australian national track team and then again this year for the world championships in Richmond,” he said. "It’s going to be a new atmosphere joining an American team, but I think I have put myself in a team and group where I can have fun and grow as an athlete and person.”
Callum Scotson, who said he has never been to the US, is looking forward to racing with his older brother, and he said he'll take a huge confidence boost into the new year after winning the Madison title.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Ray, 25, rode for Silber in 2015 after a year with Hincapie Racing in 2014. Easter, McCutcheon and Rodrigues all rode for Airgas-Safeway this year.
Although the Team Illuminate roster continues to take shape, with nine riders announced from a complete roster that Johnson said will feature at least 12, there has still been no decision regarding the future of Chris Horner, the 44-year-old winner of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana. Horner rode for Airgas-Safeway last year but has said ongoing respiratory issues could force his retirement in 2016.
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.
