Rabobank Development's Daan Olivier signed his first professional contract with Argos-Shimano, a three-year deal that will see him be with the team from 2014-2016. Olivier cited the clean environment within the organization and that their coaching staff would be able to develop him further as a rider.
“It is a dream come true to become a professional cyclist,” said Olivier. “I signed with Team Argos-Shimano because it is the best team for a young rider who wants to develop himself, so I am really keen to join this project. I really admire the clean way they approach cycling and how they work with their riders, with intensive coaching and a complete team of experts. I want to develop in the future as a GC rider. I see myself as a typical climber, but I am going to work with the team on my time trialing to become a more complete rider.”Press Release from Argos-Shimano
Olivier had a impressive season last year but after coming off of a small crash, he suffered a big setback by coming back too fast and overtraining. This overtraining plagued him through the early season and hasn't allowed him to be in his best shape. Olivier finished the Circuit des Ardennes stage race is a reasonable 28th overall and then was quite active in Liege-Bastogne-Liege U23, where he was in some attacks and finished 22nd.
This could turn out to be a great move for Argos-Shimano. They have been stock piling young talent for years now but it would behoove them to sign some older mentors to help guide these riders. You can get some of the best talent in the world but it is always hard learning the ropes.
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