Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin feeling ‘a lot of joy’ at the prospect of riding in Europe as she suits up for Bigla in 2016

New rider alert: Please join us in welcoming @GabriellePilot1 to the team. https://t.co/k2sqquOL1Y @cervelo pic.twitter.com/coghDVwKq2

— Bigla Pro Cycling (@bigla_cycling) October 27, 2015

Canada’s Gabrielle Pilote-Fortin, one of the country’s top U23 talents, is making the leap to Bigla for the 2016 season.

The announcement this week of Pilote-Fortin’s addition to the Swiss squad follows news that Joelle Numainville, whose season has also seen impressive finishes like her silver medal ride at Gatineau, will be joining Bigla — or as the team will be newly branded next season, Cervelo Bigla Pro Cycling — in 2016, too. For Pilote-Fortin, the opportunity to ride for a European team — and to immerse herself full-time in the continent’s cycling culture — is a golden one.

More than anything, though, it’s the top-tier, world-class talent she’ll have the privilege to call her peers that she’s looking forward to the most, she says.

“I am really excited to be a part of this squad,” she said in a release published on Bigla Pro Cycling Team’s website. “I’ve raced in Europe before, but this is so far the biggest team I’ve ever been [a part of] and I am very happy to have the opportunity to race with some of the best riders in the world.”

At 22, Pilote-Fortin has already seen a wealth of competitive experience on Europe’s roads. Since 2012, the young rider’s career has included top events like Trofedo Alfredo Binda and Omloop Het Niewsblad, as well as competition at this year’s Elsy Jacobs Tour. “I love racing in Europe,” she said. “Ever since I first raced over in Belgium for kermesses and the world championships in Copenhagen as a junior, I knew it was what I prefer over everything in bike racing. I am taking this opportunity very seriously and with a lot of joy and motivation.”

Other riders suiting up in Bigla colours for 2016 are Stephanie Pohl, Carmen Small, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, Lotta Lepisto, Lisa Klein, Clara Koppenburg, and of course, Numainville. The roster of fresh, talented names is a key part of the team’s long-term strategy, Bigla officials say, in building a strong squad of world-class contenders for future seasons.

“We’re not just building for next year but would like to build a sustainable team into the future,” said Thomas Campana, Bigla’s manager. “Gabrielle fits into our plans of developing stars for the future such as Clara Koppenburg and Lisa Klein. We’re delighted she has chosen our team to be a part of and we’re looking forward to working with her.”