Caja Rural – Seguros RGA has announced that Justin Oien will join the team on a two-year contract. The 21-year-old American, who lives in Southern California, is the final signing for the Spanish team ahead of the 2017 season.
Oien is a strong sprinter and one-day specialist, which he proved in the U23 Paris-Roubaix by finishing in sixth place this year. Racing for Axeon Hagens Berman, he did well in the European races as well as on the American scene, earning him a spot on the national U23 team for the World Championships in Qatar. Here, Oien finished in the select group of riders fighting for the win.
Justin Oien: said “I am extremely happy and grateful for the opportunity to take this next step in my career and join Caja Rural – Seguros RGA. When I first started racing, my dream was to do it professionally in Europe one day. Then you realize ‘wow, I’ve got some work to do’ and you start slowly progressing, inching your way closer to that dream, which is now coming true. However, this is just another step on the way. Now, it’s time to set new goals, dream bigger and once again say ‘wow I’ve got some work to do’. I am going to continue to put in the work and with the help of my personal coach, the team staff and my new teammates, I will continue to progress steadily. I want to enter each race with the goal of having an impact on the race because that’s how you learn and get better, by testing yourself and putting yourself in different scenarios”.
After Chris Butler, Oien is Caja Rural – Seguros RGA’s second American signing and one of seven foreign riders on the team next year. In total, the following 20 riders will represent and show off the green colors of the team in 2017: Alex Aranburu*, David Arroyo, Miguel Ángel Benito, Butler*, Fabricio Ferrari, Jon Irisarri*, Jonathan Lastra, Lluis Mas, Antonio Molina, Oien*, Dylan Page*, Sergio Pardilla, Eduard Prades, Rafael Reis*, Jaime Rosón, Diego Rubio, Héctor Sáez, Nick Schultz*, Yuri Trofimov* and Josu Zabala* – * indicates new signing
Above Photo- Justin Oien on the front at the Tour of Murrieta Criterium.
Photo © Christy Nicholson / EchelonDesignPhoto.com
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