Connor Swift has made the jump to André Greipel’s Arkéa Samsic team and will ride in support of the German sprinter.
British champion Swift will make the mid-season switch to the French Professional Continental outfit from Madison-Genesis.
The 23-year-old will open the new chapter of his career at the Four Days of Dunkirk on Tuesday (May 14) alongside Greipel.
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Swift said: “I’m over the moon with the opportunity that has come around.
“Things like this don’t happen often and to be able to step up to Pro Continental level with Arkéa and go there to be part of a team helping out Greipel will be pretty surreal.
“I am super thankful to everyone involved to make this happen and of course Madison-Genesis for the past two years and allowing me to step up and leave the team mid-season.”
Swift, who started with British team Madison in 2017, rode to a surprise victory in the British National Championships last season.
This year he placed ninth overall at the Tour de Yorkshire.
He added: “I’m excited to kick things off with Arkéa, which seems like a great team and one that also has a really good race programme too.
“The hard racing on rolling terrain in France will suit me.
“I’m sure it’s going to develop me more as a rider and I’m keen to learn from the more experienced riders.”
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Arkéa will be riding the Tour de France as a wildcard team, which means Swift could now be in with a chance of riding his first Grand Tour if he impresses in his first month with the team.
The team’s general manager Emmanuel Hubert said: “We are very happy to welcome this talent in our training.
“We discussed it with André Greipel. He is a rider with great potential, goes very fast in the sprint and he knows how to rub [fight for position].
“Robert Wagner, who was to play the role of poisson pilote for André, was unfortunately unavailable for several weeks.
“We had to strengthen ourselves in this area to be effective, which we have done with the arrival of Connor Swift.”
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