Irish pro cyclist Philip Lavery will join South African outfit Team Alfa BodyWorks as a guest rider for the Bestmed Tour of Good Hope.
Lavery will start his pre-season preparations at the five-day Western Cape road tour, which starts on February 29, and follow it up with an appearance at the Cape Town Cycle Tour.
For more news see: Tour of Good Hope
The 25-year-old, who was previously a stagiaire for Cofidis, will return to French outfit AC Bisontine for the 2016 season.
He took a brief hiatus from cycling after AC Bisontine failed to get a WorldTour licence and returned to the professional racing scene for Synergy Baku in 2014.
During his previous stint with the French team, Lavery added the Prix des Vallons, a stage of the Tour de Franche-Comté, Le Souvenir Jean Lacroix and the Tour du Charolais to his palmarès.
Alfa BodyWorks released a statement expressing their delight at having Lavery on board.
“The acquisition of Lavery for these events clearly show the new team’s intention to boost South African cycling and its young team and is a major coup for the team and local cycling.”
The statement said the squad would reap the benefits of his experience as a bike rider.
