British rider Jake Stewart (open in new tab) is set to turn pro with Groupama-FDJ (open in new tab) in 2021.

New UCI rules allow Stewart to race with WorldToursted in the pro series this season; Stewart, who made his debut at the Volta Ao Algarve in February, is Le Samin, Mont Ventoux-Denivelle Challenge, and the Tour de Ain as part of the senior team.

This week, Stewart competed in the Tour du Limousin (open in new tab), where he took two second places to win the best young rider award and finished second overall by just two seconds on Friday.

"I'm really happy because it's a great opportunity to sign with a WorldTour team," Stewart said. I'm still a young rider and I'm still learning over the next two years. I'm still a young rider and I'm still learning over the next two years. I want to keep moving up through the stages and win some races. I've already proven that I can do that

"I think this team is the best choice for me. They have already given me a lot of opportunities and I want to continue to get more opportunities and be the best rider I can be."

In 2019, Stewart showed an aptitude for the classics, finishing third in the U23 Tour de Flanders and eighth in the U23 Paris-Roubaix. He also placed third in the U23 Eschborn-Frankfurt and fifth in Le Triptyque des Mons et Chateaux.

Earlier this year, Stewart told Cycling News (open in new tab) that one of his career goals is a cobblestone monument and that his aspirations are in the classics.The 20-year-old also said that after leaving the British Cycling team, the Dave Rayner Foundation helped him said that the Dave Rayner Foundation helped him advance his career.

Groupama-FDJ's Directeur Sportif, Yvon Madiot, welcomed Stewart to the team and praised the connections the team has established with the development team. In recent years, Kevin Jenyets, Simon Guglielmi, and Alexis Brunel have made the same move, while Cristian Scaroni and Kevin Inkelaar turned pro elsewhere. [Jake Stewart's arrival on the World Tour is great news. To begin with, he's one of the successful bridges between the Conti team and the World Tour team. [He brings a lot to the team. He is an undeniable sprinter and puncher. He is a hyper-combative rider, which is what we need.