Matt Goss will join GreenEdge in 2012 as he seeks to become a leader in his own right for the Spring Classics and bunch sprints.
The Australian leaves the disbanding HTC-Highroad squad after two years there that have seen him rise further through the ranks, winning Milan-San Remo, the GP Plouay and a stage at the Giro d'Italia.
Even before the 24 year old won the first Classic of the season in March, there were rumours linking Goss with GreenEdge, and they intensified over the summer.
"To sign with the first Australian team is groundbreaking," Goss said in a press release today. "From the start GreenEdge stated they want to be successful in the Classics and go to the stage races targeting stage wins, and that's perfect for me."
A strong sprinter who can get over the hills, 24-year-old Goss is arguably the biggest name signing announced so far. He joins the likes of Stuart O'Grady, Robbie McEwen, Simon Gerrans and Baden Cooke on the squad.
Currently, Goss is facing a fight to regain form for the world championship road race in Copenhagen after withdrawing from the Vuelta on the second day due to a virus.
Goss goes GreenEdge
In a recent interview in the October edition of our sister magazine Cycle Sport, Goss went into more detail about his reasons for switching.
"Staying at HTC depended on whether Cav was staying or leaving. It's no secret, I want to be doing my own sprints," he said.
"I want to have my own crack at the big races. I've gone from being third sprinter to sharing the load with Cavendish. I want to try and take that one step further."
He also sounded a cautionary note about the pressure heaped on new teams. "New teams will put their big expectations out there and it's not so easy to achieve what you say."
"For any team to come straight in and have smooth sailing is unheard of. All that stuff behind the scenes is the really hard part, getting it gelled," he added.
The October 2011 issue of Cycle Sport is out now, priced at £4.75. It also includes an in-depth interview with Geraint Thomas, a ride of the world championship course with Brian Holm, a Tour de France picture special and much, much more.
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