Utah rider Tayler Wiles has committed herself to working hard for the Specialized lululemon team leaders in her first year with the squad, but has said that she also hopes to be given a green light to race aggressively in some events in 2013.
“I will do a great deal of learning and be a big team player,” the 23 year old told VeloNation yesterday at the team training camp in Portugal. “But I also think they will give me opportunities to use my instincts and to race like they know I can.”
The Salt Lake City native has shown good ability thus far in her career, improving steadily after she switched across from soccer to cycling at eighteen years of age. “It has been a pretty rapid progression,” she accepts, drawing encouragement from that rise in form. “I am learning every single year, but I have taken some big steps up so it is exciting.”
Wiles took several good results for Exergy Twenty12 in 2012, including eighth in the Tour of the Gila, sixth in the Tour of California women’s time trial and second in the Tour de Nez. She also rode aggressively in the Exergy Tour and finished second and third on stages plus third overall in the women’s Tour de la Ardèche.
She enquired about a possible place on the team at the start of August, then after her performances at the Ardèche race in France, Specialized lululemon manager Kristy Scrymgeour contacted her to confirm that she would indeed be offered a place.
Riding for one of the world’s top teams is major boost for the 23 year old, who will have the opportunity to compete in some very big events in the year ahead.
She’s ambitious about improving as much as possible this year, being hungry for eventual leadership roles in later seasons.
“For the past few years I have been a domestique, a big team player, but I hope to evolve into a GC rider,” Wiles said.
Her first European race is likely to be in March or April of 2013. Prior to then, she’ll build for the new season in the US.
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Feature: World TTT champions Specialized lululemon clock up pre-season kilometres in Portugal