YOUNG cyclist Etienne Georgi has landed a major coup and joined the professional team which bears the name of Britain’s biggest star, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

And as many other riders have discovered, Georgi now is on the road towards riding in the greatest bike races in the world, including the Tour de France, if his progression continues.

The Berkeley-based teenager has signed professional terms with Team Wiggins and will ride for them in major British races this summer.

Team Wiggins is an Under 23 Development squad and aims to help its riders move onto World Tour level where teams compete in the biggest competitions of all, including Le Tour.

Team Wiggins has already seen one of its riders, Welshman Owain Doull, win an Olympic Games gold medal in Rio last year while Doull and Jon Dibben have progressed from the development squad to join Britain’s Pro Tour outfit Team Sky.

The 18-year-old is still doing his A Levels at the Castle School. Thornbury, and is the only rider in the country within a professional outfit like Team Wiggins who is in full time education.

He recently went to Spain for a ten-day training camp with the outfit and is having physiological testing at Liverpool’s John Moore’s University as he is now a member of the team.He will ride mainly in UK-based races until his exams are over in the summer and, from there, the sky is the limit as he jets abroad to race.

Only last year, Sir Bradley rode for his team in the Tour of Britain which passed through Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

He competed in his first senior road race last weekend, the Severn Bridge Road Race in South Gloucestershire and came sixth.

Georgi said of his deal: “I am excited to have joined Team Wiggins and am looking forward to getting stuck into racing, especially later in the year once I have completed my A Levels.

“In the next month I will be competing in three of the Premier Calendar races (for domestic professional riders) in the east of England, which are the biggest races for senior riders in the UK.”

And his family, who have supported his progress for years, are also delighted by the news. Father Peter Georgi said: “It’s incredibly exciting seeing Etienne in such a great team.

“Etienne will get the chance to race all over Europe later in the year. I wish I had had the same opportunity when I was young.

“Team Wiggins is really serious about developing the riders well, so for a young rider it is a great place to be.

“For Etienne, getting into a team like Wiggins is a huge thing. He is still doing his A levels and is the youngest on the team.”

Meanwhile, Etienne’s younger sister Pfeiffer, 16, riding for Liv CC Epic Coaching, competed in two hilly time trials across the last two weekends, taking victory in the women’s category in each event, despite still being a junior.

Comprising 25 miles and 22 miles respectively, both time trials saw testing windy conditions, with Pfeiffer posting times well ahead of her nearest rivals.