BMC Racing Team (United States) - Portuguese climbing talent Amaro Antunes will continue his development when he joins the WorldTour ranks in 2019 with Continuum Sports, following his first year at the Professional Continental level with CCC Sprandi Polkowice.

The 27-year-old will contribute to the climbing and General Classification ambitions of the team, which will be sponsored by Polish shoe and bag manufacturer CCC in 2019, General Manager Jim Ochowicz said.

“We are excited to welcome Amaro Antunes to Continuum Sports. Amaro is one of the biggest talents to come out of Portugal and will be the first Portuguese rider to race with Continuum Sports in the history of the team. Although this is his first season at the Professional Continental level, Amaro has already impressed in the past few years with some solid results against WorldTour riders. We feel we can continue to develop Amaro’s raw talent and help him to reach his potential,” Ochowicz said.

“Amaro will play a key support role in the team as well as enjoying his own opportunities. His climbing aptitude is already proven and with our expertise in time trials, we can make improvements in this discipline which will naturally contribute to his stage race results. It will be exciting to see what Amaro can do when he makes the move to the WorldTour.”

Antunes garnered attention on home soil in 2017 when he claimed a stage win and fifth overall at the Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta, before winning the penultimate stage and finishing in second place at the Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta Santander Totta.

“It’s a dream come true for me to join the WorldTour with Continuum Sports. It’s a big motivation for me and I’m looking forward to getting started next year. My main goal will be to get a good result at the most important WorldTour races and to help the team as much as possible,” Antunes said.

“It is an honor and a big responsibility to work with some of the best cyclists in the world when I join the team. This will be an amazing opportunity to continue to improve as a rider and learn from my new teammates.”

In keeping with team policy, no other details of the contract were released.