Dave Rayner Funded rider from 2017, Stevie Williams will take the step up to the World Tour with the Bahrain Merida outfit. Starting as a stagiaire in August 2018, Williams will then sign for an additional 2 years. Stevie has been with the SEG Racing Academy for the past 2 years, racing in some of the biggest u23 races in the world.
“Joining Bahrain Merida is a great privilege for me, I am over the moon to be stepping up to WorldTour with them. 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 in cycling. I am really happy and looking forward to the next 2 years. The traineeship is the perfect opportunity for me to find my feet within the team, and meet everybody. That will make the transition a lot easier in 2019.” - Stevie Williams
Williams was recruited by the Academy ahead of the 2017 season. Together with the Performance Management, a 2-year plan based on individualized training and racing programs was created in order to enhance his development as a rider. The Welshman already showed himself in 2017 after powering to second in Flèche Ardennaise, but all the knowledge acquired in that first year, together with the proper training guidance paid off in 2018. Williams took the overall win in Ronde de l’Isard alongside two stage victories before wearing pink and winning a mountaintop finish in the Giro d’Italia U23. “The past two years with SEG Racing Academy have been the most helpful and important years in my cycling career so far. The professionalism the team has it 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 forward in your development, after two years on the team I can not thank everyone enough”.
Read the team press release here https://www.segracing.com/stevie-williams-will-step-to-the-wordtour-with-team-bahrain-merida/