Bio
With nine Grand Tours appearances and three World Time Trial Championship titles in the bag, Michael Rogers deserves his status as one of the most successful and well-respected riders in the peloton.
The Australian joins the team after five seasons with HTC-Columbia (formerly T-Mobile) and is excited to begin this new chapter of his career at Team Sky.
He said: "I like the direction and general outlook of the team and am delighted to be here. Having ridden against them this year it was clear to see the team were learning and improving all the time and I expect that to continue next season.
“I already know a lot of guys in the squad so I’m expecting to settle in pretty quickly and am really looking forward to it.
“I’ve been lucky enough to ride with some great riders in the past and have learned a lot from them. If they want me to, I am more than happy to pass some of that experience along and I will do whatever I can to help the team’s progression.”
A product of the Australian Institute of Sport, Rogers turned professional with Mapei in 2000 and two years later tasted his first major success at the Tour Down Under.
Further victories followed in 2003 at the Tours of Germany, Belgium and the Route du Sud, before he claimed the first of three consecutive rainbow jerseys in Hamilton, Canada.
After switching to T-Mobile in 2006, Rogers outlined his credentials as a Grand Tour contender with a top-10 finish in the Tour de France, and was in contention for the yellow jersey again in 2007 before breaking his collarbone on the descent of the Cormet de Roseland.
Numerous podium positions would follow in 2008 and 2009, and in 2010 he won the Tour of Andalucia before becoming the first non-American to triumph at the Tour of California.
Rogers is hoping to extend that fine form into 2011 and beyond and will be targeting the week-long stage races during the early part of first season.
He added: “They are going to be my main priority but that’s not to say I won’t be riding Grand Tours as well. I’m in the peak years of my career at the moment and I’d like to think if things go well I could still have something to offer in those races as well. We’ll just have to see.”
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