Rally UHC Cycling is proud to announce the signing of 28-year-old American Nate Brown for the 2020 season. After spending the last six years racing in the WorldTour for EF Education First, Brown will assume the role of road captain following the departure of Svein Tuft.
“It’s been an amazing six years, but after taking a step back and speaking with my family, we decided Rally UHC Cycling was best suited for the things I still want to achieve in cycling,” said Brown. “I’m really looking forward to getting some opportunities to lead and I’m excited to see what I can do.”
Brown’s career highlights include two days in the KOM jersey during the 2017 Tour de France, fourth on stage 10 of the 2016 Giro d’Italia, and second in the 2013 U23 Liège – Bastogne – Liège. His last victory came when he won the overall title at the 2013 Tour de Beauce.
“My biggest goal for next year is to win a race,” said Brown. “It’s been years since I’ve raised my hands for a win and I’m really motivated. I see the team as a fresh start with lots of opportunities and I feel that I still haven’t reached my full potential.”
Team performance director Jonas Carney has had his eye on signing Brown for the last few seasons. It wasn’t until this summer that talks progressed and Brown decided to come aboard.
“We brought Nate in because he’s a super-strong rider with a ton of experience, and he’s a good fit personality-wise with our current group,” said Carney. “Plus, he’s only 28 years old and has a lot more to give.”
Carney has a reputation for being a straight-shooter and someone who values team culture as highly as performance. Both are traits that Brown appreciated during their discussions.
“After speaking with Jonas, I knew it was the perfect fit for me,” said Brown. “Rally UHC Cycling seems like a big family, and I really like that. I have a bunch of friends on the team and with a smaller roster, I feel like I will have a closer connection to everyone.”
With the recent retirement of Svein Tuft following the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, Rally UHC Cycling was looking to fill the role of road captain, a position vital to the success of its young and talented roster.
“We definitely expect Nate to take a leadership role,” said Carney. “He’s competed in Europe full-time for years, completed six grand tours, and wore the KOM jersey at the Tour de France. He has a lot of knowledge to share with the rest of our team.”
Normally, the veteran rider on a cycling team is someone who uses their experience in the service of others but in Brown’s case, he also has the physical ability to chase results of his own.
“Nate has spent almost all of his time in the WorldTour working for others,” said Carney. “We know he is capable of generating results himself and our race program will provide him with opportunities in 2020.”
Following the recent signings of Stephen Bassett and Nickolas Zukowsky, Brown marks the third and final new addition to the men’s 2020 roster. With Brandon McNulty joining Team UAE and the retirement of Svein Tuft and Evan Huffman, Rally UHC Cycling returns all 13 remaining riders for the 2020 season.
The team will gather for the first time at a teambuilding camp in Sedona, AZ this November before heading to the team’s hometown of Minneapolis, MN for their official launch party on December 6.
2020 men’s roster
Ryan Anderson
Stephen Bassett
Rob Britton
Nate Brown
Robin Carpenter
Pier-André Coté
Matteo Dal-Cin
Adam de Vos
Nigel Ellsay
Colin Joyce
Ty Magner
Gavin Mannion
John Murphy
Kyle Murphy
Emerson Oronte
Nickolas Zukowsky
