Danny Pate Joins Team Sky
Team Sky have bolstered their squad for the 2012 season with the signing of
Coloradan Danny Pate on a two-year contract.
The 32-year-old will join the team from HTC-Highroad and is widely regarded
as one of the hardest-working riders in the peloton; over his career his
demonstrated he is a complete rider and a talented time trialist and climber...
at home in any terrain.
Pate turned professional in 2000 and distinguished himself himself out
as a star of the future by winning the World Under-23 Time Trial Championship in
2001 at the age of 21, after racing in Europe on Mario Cippolini's team, Saeco
Macchine per Caffè that season.
Pate chose to return to the American scene signing with the top
National Racing Calendar team, Prime Alliance for the next three years with
Chris Horner. After a year each with Health Net-Maxxis and Jelly Belly outfits
Pate signed to ride for former team mate at Prime Alliance Jonathan
Vaughters at 27 years of age to return to racing in 2006.
That season Pate won the time trial at the Tour de Beauce and also claimed
top-10 finishes at both the Tour de Limousin and Tour de l'Ain. In the years
that followed, Pate sacrificed his own chances of success to become one of the
newly-named Garmin team’s key domestiques and rode back-to-back Giro d’Italia
and Tour de France in both 2008 and 2009. That brought with it a team time trial
success in Italy and also saw him bag podium places on two further occasions.
Another solid season was to follow in 2010 before the Coloradan made the move
to HTC-Highroad in 2011. Pate immediately settled in and became one of Mark
Cavendish’s main lead-out men as the Manxman become the first British rider ever
to win the green jersey at the Tour de France.
Danny Pate on his move to Sky....
“I was fortunate to have a number of offers from teams for next season.
After riding with HTC-Highroad, I wanted to stay at the highest level in cycling
and be part of the most professional team in the peloton. That is why I have
chosen Team Sky and I am delighted to be joining one of the best-structured
teams ever in cycling.
“Team Sky has a fantastic back room staff, some highly talented riders and a
shared motivation to be the best. I know it’s a team that I am going to do well
with and I am very proud to be joining this ambitious and exciting project. For
the team my work as a domestique will remain my main focus and on a personal
level I will be looking to target the World Championship TTT in 2012.”
2011 Tour de France Stage 11: Mikhail Ignatiev of Katusha joins Danny Pate on
the front to help lead the chase. Photo
© 2011 Fotoreporter Sirotti
Team Sky Principal, Dave Brailsford,
said: “Danny is a hugely experienced rider with a fantastic pedigree. As well as
being one of the peloton’s strongest riders he is also a world-class time
trialist and has shown again this year that he is one of the sport’s most
talented riders.
“Throughout this season Danny has shown the calibre of bike rider he is with
his performances for HTC-Highroad. We’ve seen him chasing down breakaways week
in, week out and have been really impressed with the way he goes about his
business. He’s capable of being on the front of the peloton for long periods,
day after day, and that’s testament to the way he looks after himself both on
and off the bike.
“His experience was also a major attraction for us and we will be looking to
him to impart some of that on the younger guys in the team.”
Danny Pate Teams:
1998: Colorado Cyclist - Ikon - Lexus
1999: Tomac - Manitou MTB Team
2000: Saeco Macchine per Caffè-Valli & Valli (21)
2001 - 2003: Prime Alliance Cycling Team
2004: Health Net-Maxxis
2005: Jelly Belly-Pool Gel
2006: TIAA-CREF
2007–2010: Slipstream-Chipotle
2011 - 2012 HTC-Highroad
2013 - 2014 Team Sky
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