Briton drops to Continental level after leaving Dimension Data
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Scott Thwaites (Bora-Argon 18)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Scott Thwaites on a descent during stage 6 at Tirreno-Adriatico(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Scott Thwaites (Bora-Argon 18)(Image credit: Sabine Jacob/CV/BettiniPhoto)
Scott Thwaites, Kenny Dehaes and Bert-jan Lindemann on the podium in Ronde van Drenthe(Image credit: Bert Geerts/dcp-bertgeerts@xs4all.nl)
Scott Thwaites (NetApp - Endura)(Image credit: Biondi/Bettiniphoto)
Scott Thwaites will drop down to Continental level and return to racing in Britain, signing for Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother after his contract at Dimension Data was not renewed.
Thwaites' career was thrown into jeopardy in March last year when he suffered several fractured vertebrae in a training crash. After a lengthy rehabilitation process, he returned to racing in July but soon explained that his outlook on his career had changed and he was considering doing something away from the sport.
Having known for some time that he would not be getting a new contract at Dimension Data, Thwaites entered the new year without a team, but on Friday it was announced that he will ride for the British set-up Vitus, formerly known as Team Raleigh.
The team is run by Cherie Pridham, who helped Thwaites in the nascent phase of his career when he was on the Merlin development team.
"I'm delighted to welcome Scott to Vitus Pro Cycling Team, powered by Brother UK. Strength-in-depth is the defining characteristic of our 2019 squad, and Scott embodies the unwavering standards demanded of a top professional," Pridham said.
"It was a pleasure to work with Scott when he was still an emerging talent with obvious potential, and now he has completed nine years as a professional, it’s very satisfying to be working with him again. A rider strong enough to finish two Grand Tours and nine Classics can only be a significant addition to our squad."
Thwaites joins multiple Olympic champion Ed Clancy in adding top-level experience to Vitus. The 28-year-old rode for Endura Racing from 2010 and stayed after the merger with NetApp in what became the current Bora-Hansgrohe team, before signing for Dimension Data in 2017. As well as riding the Tour de France in 2017 and the Vuelta a España in 2016, he produced some string performances in the Spring Classics, including top 10's at Strade Bianche, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and Hadzame Classic, as well as podiums at Le Samyn and Nokere Koerse.
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Thwaites will make his debut for the team when they line out at their first race of the 2019 season at the Eddie Soens Memorial on March 9.
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