CEREDIGION cyclist Stephen Williams will join WorldTour’s Bahrain Merida from 1 August, initially as a trainee, followed by a two year deal.

The 22-year old, who seized the overall victory in the Ronde de l’Isard, joined the SEG Racing Academy two years ago and developed into one of the best climbers in the U23 ranks.

“Joining Bahrain Merida is a great privilege for me, I am over the moon to be stepping up to WorldTour with them,” said Williams, who is from Capel Dewi.

“I am looking forward to being part of this journey, I feel like it is the perfect stepping stone for me to learn, develop, improve and progress further in cycling.

“I am really happy and looking forward to the next two years. The traineeship is the perfect opportunity for me to find my feet within the team, and meet everybody. It will make the transition a lot easier in 2019,” added the Ceredigion ace.

Williams was recruited by the Academy ahead of the 2017 season. Together with the Performance Management, a two-year plan based on individualized training and racing programs was created in order to enhance his development as a rider.

The Welshman, a former pupil at Ysgol Penweddig in Aberystwyth, had already showed himself in 2017 after powering to second in Flèche Ardennaise, but all the knowledge acquired in that first year, together with proper training and guidance really paid off in 2018.

Williams took the overall win in Ronde de l’Isard, alongside two stage victories, before wearing pink and winning a mountain top finish in Giro Italia U23.

“The past two years with SEG Racing Academy have been the most helpful and important years in my cycling career so far,” he said.

“The professionalism the team has makes it the perfect place to learn and make the next step. On and off the bike, the team put the best race program together for us U23 riders to develop.

“Working together with such a qualified and dedicated performance staff helps you to make big steps in your development. After two years on the team I can’t thank everyone enough”.

Bart van Haaren, the SEG Racing Academy manager, said he was really happy to see Williams moving up to the WorldTour after all the hard work that he and the Academy have been doing.

“When he came in we traced a development plan that was built around the hardest and toughest stage races in our program, and his results in 2018 prove that the plan clearly worked and we developed him into one of the best riders of the category,” he commented.

Martijn Berkhout, SEG Cycling Director and UCI Licensed Agent, added: “There was a lot of interest for Stevie, but Bahrain Merida offered a development plan that perfectly matched his needs in order to progress and improve in the professional ranks.

“They will provide him with the best assistance and a racing program that will allow him to fulfill the expectations and keep on growing as a rider. We know he is in good hands, with a great team that knows how to work with some of the biggest talents.”