Team Sky | Pro Cycling | Team

One of the most exciting talents to come out of South America in years, Sergio Henao joins the Team Sky roster for 2012 in his debut at WorldTour level.

The 24-year-old is a former winner of the gruelling Vuelta a Colombia yet shot to prominence with an accomplished performance at the American Tour of Utah stage race. The compact climber burst into an early lead after the uphill Park City prologue and held the race lead for two further days, grabbing a final stage victory that was enough to bag second place overall.

Living at high altitude in Colombia puts Henao at a great advantage heading into mountainous stage races. The first season with the team will be spent finding his feet at pro level but all the signs point to a rider who is comfortable going toe to toe with the best climbers in the world.

He explains: “First and foremost for me is integrating myself within the team. Then also I want to find my feet in the races and work and learn off the leaders like Bradley Wiggins. I know there are many great riders in this team. Then hopefully once I have found my feet and got into a rhythm I hope to maybe win a few stages in certain races here or there, but mostly it is about integrating myself.

“I definitely see living at altitude as a big advantage. I live at approximately 2,200 metres. I can drop down to 1,500m and also go back up to over 3,000 so it is a big advantage.”

Riding in Team Sky colours also allows Henao to link back up with compatriot Rigoberto Urán, a rider he admits he greatly respects.

He adds: “I’ve known Rigoberto since we were juniors. We raced together before he went to Europe. I’ve watched and learned from him as he has progressed and now to be racing alongside him again at such a big team is really good. I’m very happy about that.”