Recent winner of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour and the Japan Cup, Nathan Haas is on the move to the ProTeam level for 2012, where he will race with the Garmin-Cervélo team. The 22 year old Genesys Wealth Advisers rider has had a superb end of season, beating several ProTeam riders to take his two successes, and is regarded as a big talent for the future.
His Japan Cup win on Sunday saw him finish ahead of Taiji Nishitani (Aisan Racing Team) and Junay Sano (D’Angelo Antenucci-Nippo) to the line, with former race winners Damiano Cunego (Lampre – ISD) and
Manuele Mori (Lampre – ISD) finishing further back.
His current team announced his departure today on Twitter, although it didn’t reveal where he would be riding. “Big annoucement regarding Nathan Haas expected in the next few days,” it stated. “Exciting times for Genesys Pro Cycling.”
Biciciclismo then named Garmin-Cervélo as the likely destination. Team CEO Jonathan Vaughters has since confirmed this on Twitter. “Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag!” he said in a message directed to Haas. “Anyhow, looking forward to working with you.”
He then added that Haas, “shows a very rare quality in a rider: He finds a way to win, no matter the terrain or the competition.”
His current team-mate Steele Von Hoff is also heading in a similar direction, as he will compete with the ProTeam’s development squad, Chipotle-Sugarlabs, in 2012. His current team confirmed that this morning. “He will be under the watchful eyes of Garmin Cervelo Team Director, Allan Peiper and CEO Jonathan Vaughters. Steele is hopeful of a stagiare [slot] mid-season and gaining a full contract with Garmin Cervelo in 2013,” it stated.
The 23 year old finished seventh overall in the Tour of Wellington earlier this year, then went on to clock up four top ten finishes in the Jelajah Malaysia event plus tenth in the Oceania cycling championships. He was second and third on stages of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, helping Haas and being part of the team’s very successful campaign there.