Harry Tanfield has signed a contract with Qhubeka Assos after leaving AG2R La Mondiale and will remain on the World Tour for the 2021 season.

The 26-year-old Englishman would have spent 2020 with the French team before moving to the continental level next season with Ribble Weld Tight.

However, Cycling News understands that Cubeka Assos, who have confirmed that they will continue as a team with a new sponsor after Tanfield agreed to move to Ribble Weld Tight, will add him to their burgeoning roster.

The deal was confirmed by the team on Wednesday afternoon, with the addition of Connor Brown from the team's NTT Continental team and Emile Vinjebo from Liwar Securitas.

In a statement released Wednesday morning, Ribble-Weldite confirmed that Tanfield had opted out of his contract and allowed him to remain on the World Tour.

"We were always looking to help Harry step up and we are pleased that this has happened a little sooner than expected. The team has been very proactive in helping Harry to make his mark on the World Tour."

Tanfield, whose signing with Qhubeka Assos marks his third move to a World Tour team after Katusha Alpecin and AG2R La Mondiale, thanked Ribble Weldite for their support.

"I can't thank the Ribble-Weldite team enough. They have provided guarantees and assurances that I will be able to race in 2021 and have worked with me and my new team 100% to make this transition as efficient as possible." I wish the team the best of luck in the 2021 season."

Tanfield won stage 3 of the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire from a Canyon-Eisberg breakaway; in 2020, he made his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España, where he scored the breakaway of the day on stage 4.

On Wednesday, Qhubeka Assos confirmed Tanfield's arrival and also announced the signing of Brown and Vinjevo.

Brown, who has dual South African and New Zealand citizenship, steps up from the Continental feeder team. The 22-year-old, who finished third in the seventh stage of this year's U23 Giro, has gained elite experience by representing World Tourstead at the Giro della Toscana and Coppa Sabatini.

"Ever since I can remember, I've dreamed of running in the World Tour," he said. My two years with the Continental team were very special and provided me with the perfect platform to take the next step in my career."

Meanwhile, Vinjevo joins from Danish professional team Rewal Securitas, where the 26-year-old Dane joined Rewal in 2019 and finished third in Toro Bro Leon and fourth in the Drome Classic.

"This deal is exactly what I've been training towards for years. It's been a childhood dream of mine ever since I started cycling as a little kid."

Vinjevo will be paired with compatriot Lars Mikkelsen, and Directeur Sportif had this to say about the three new players.

"In Emil we have a player who shows resilience in difficult situations, as evidenced by his personal results. This is a great opportunity for him to showcase that ability on the World Tour," Mikkelsen said.

"Harry has the experience at this level to take the next step and has done really well in the past. His track experience and time trial ability will add another dimension to our team.

"We are really pleased for Connor. His step up to the WorldTour team confirms once again that our system is working. He has performed very well and has a good "engine" as a former Junior Team Pursuit world record holder.

Koubeka-Assos has confirmed the re-signing of Victor Campenaerts, Nick Dlamini, and Giacomo Nizzolo since the team was saved in mid-November, and has now signed 17 players to 2021 contracts in order to rebuild the team. Simon Clark (EF Pro Cycling), Dmitry Kraayes (Cofidis), and Lukasz Wisniowski (CCC Team) are the newest additions to the South African team.