Alex Braybrooke joins French DN1 team for 2017 from Lotto-Soudal U23
Alex Braybrooke will race for AVC Aix-en-Provence in 2017 after making the switch from Lotto-Soudal U23
British teenager Alex Braybrooke is to swap Belgium for the south of France in 2017, having signed for French DN1 team AVC Aix-en-Provence.
Braybrooke spent 2016 racing for Lotto-Soudal U23, the feeder outfit to the WorldTour team. He lived and raced alongside James Shaw who enjoyed a successful stagiaire-ship with Lotto-Soudal and subsequently signed a two-year professional contract with them.
Due to the U23 team reducing the size of its squad, however, Braybrooke was forced to look for another team and he has been recruited by AVC - a year after he chose Lotto-Soudal over them.
"I almost signed for them last year and they have been really good with me since I have got back in contact with them. I'm looking forward to it," the 19-year-old told Cycling Weekly.
As a junior, he courted a lot of interest with his results for the HMT Academy team, including coming second at the Junior Tour of the Basque Country and winning the Signal d'Écouves in 2015.
The 2016 season was about settling into a new country and a new way of racing and he performed admirably until a broken arm suffered in a crash in September ended his season prematurely.
His race calendar in 2017 will consist of a number of stage races in France, UCI 1.2 and 2.2 races, U23 races in Italy, and Coupe de France events.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"The team raced in a couple of big stage races this year - the Tour du Loir et Cher, the Tour du Pays de Savoie and Tour of Alsace - and they are races that in the future I think I can do well in," he added.
"By the end of this season I felt stronger in races and hopefully I can carry that onto next year and use this year's experiences to be competitive.
"I gained a lot of experience from racing in Belgium and I enjoyed it a lot. France is a different scene but hopefully being one year stronger and wiser I can push on next year.
"It'll be a little different to Lotto in that there are older riders on the team, but they are one of the best DN1 teams that are focused on development."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
-
Amateur cyclist breaks Strava KOMs on Mortirolo and Stelvio, makes plea for pro contract
'Let's hope some kind of opportunity comes from this,' said Canadian Jack Burke, after taking the Mortirolo crown
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'With a few changes, it'll be class' - Josh Tarling optimistic about Ineos Grenadiers future
'Everybody wants to get better and get back to winning,' 20-year-old tells audience at Rouleur Live
By Tom Davidson Published
-
‘Current WorldTour system is killing all the smaller teams,’ says Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
South African ex-Lotto Soudal rider fears more teams could find themselves in B & B Hotels-KTM situation if the system doesn’t change
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Caleb Ewan ‘not going anywhere’ after team's relegation, says Lotto-Soudal
Spokesperson for Belgian team says that Ewan has expressed desire to stay and lead the team in 2023
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘It's not been a great Tour for the sprinters’ - Caleb Ewan rues bad luck at the Tour de France after heavy crash on stage 13
Lotto Soudal sprinter involved in nasty crash with a teammate midway through stage into Saint-Étienne
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I’m still having to pinch myself a little bit, what a ride!' : Reinardt Janse van Rensburg’s journey to a sixth Tour de France
The 33 year old South African rider feared his career was over before Lotto Soudal came calling.
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
Lotto Soudal pins Tour de France hopes on 'one of the fastest riders of the peloton', Caleb Ewan
Caleb Ewan, Philippe Gilbert, Andreas Kron and Tim Wellens all make the team's Tour de France lineup
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Racing every race like it's the last of the season: how smaller teams are overperforming this year
Lotto-Soudal and Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux have won 11 races between them in 2022 after just 21 in all of last year, so what's going on?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Meet Florian Vermeersch, the history student and local councillor who finished second at Paris-Roubaix
The Lotto Soudal rider on living up to new expectations, the new approach of his team, and how time trialling helps in the Classics
By Adam Becket Published
-
Paris-Roubaix runner-up Florian Vermeersch posts incredible ride to Strava
The 22-year-old Belgian put in an astonishing ride on his 'Hell of the North' debut
By Tim Bonville-Ginn Last updated