“My goal is to turn into a rider that can contend for Grand Tours" - INEOS Grenadiers' new wonderkid Andrew August has big ambitions

He may be just 18 years old, but one of INEOS Grenadiers' latest arrivals, Andrew August has already been compared to Remco Evenepoel by his team. In the coming years, the American is keen to prove himself at the highest level.

“When you're there with riders like Tom Pidcock and others, it can be quite nerve-wracking but they made me feel right at home. You always learn a few things that these guys can teach you because there's so much experience,” August tells Rouleur, when asked about how he's settling in. “It's quite strange, because I’m over 15 years younger than some of these riders so we're from two different generations, but we're all teammates and we fit in really well together.”

As mentioned, the pressure on August's shoulders is already quite large, thanks in part to his team manager describing the teen as, “He is Remco, but probably with more power," in conversation with GCN.

“My full focus is just settling into the team and just doing the best I can do," says August however, showing a mature head on young shoulders. “I wouldn't say I'm nervous about anything but there's a lot of big changes like the race duration and racing against other WorldTour pros where everybody is so close in percentage. That will be a change to the juniors where there’s only 20 guys who were pretty close, and then the rest of the field is weaker. I'll have to adapt and just see how it is."

Eventually though, August is confident in his abilities to live up to those lofty expectations and challenge for victory in the biggest races. “My goal, at the end of the day, is to turn into a rider that can contend for Grand Tours. I consider myself a good climber, but I need to develop and adapt to the different types of races. But I think in year one, I can try all types of races to see what I enjoy and what suits me the best,” he explains.

That though, is for the future. “The main objectives are just learning and getting used to everything in professional life. The team is putting no pressure on me,” he says of 2024. “But, of course, I want to do well in races. I think because the team is withholding that pressure, that makes it a very good environment for me to surprise them, too.”