New Zealand's Aaron Gate of Burgos-BH celebrates in the yellow jersey after Stage 5 of the 15th Tour of Hainan, China 2024. Photo: AFP
New Zealand Sportsman of the Year Aaron Gate will finally get to ride at the highest level of pro cycling.
Gate has signed with the Astana Kazakhstan UCI World Tour road team, a move he never thought he would realise.
The 33-year-old has previously ridden for the lower tier Black Spoke and Burgos teams
He competed on the track at the Paris Olympics last month, but will store his track bike in the meantime.
"Little me out of Auckland Grammar would not have thought I would ride for a WorldTour team some day," Gate said from his base in Andorra.
"I was talking to Astana last year after Black Spoke stopped but it did not go anywhere.
"My main job will be sprint lead-out and support for some of the bigger Classics, and then a few opportunities of my own to keep getting those UCI Points where I can."
Gate said he hopes to make a start at Tour Down Under in Adelaide in the new year before the chance to defend his New Zealand road championship jersey in Timaru.
"It will still be within the timing to wear my national champs jersey. It will be nice to wear it in a WorldTour race regardless of what happens in Timaru next year.
Gate has enjoyed a stellar 2024 season, winning four stages and the overall classification at the New Zealand Cycle Classic, the New Zealand National Road Race Championship, the Oceania Time Trial Championships, the overall classification of the Trans-Himalaya Cycling Race and two stages and the general classification of the Tour of Hainan.
He is one of six New Zealand riders on the move next year with Olympians Laurence Pithie, Niamh Fisher-Black and Ally Wollaston along with Finn Fisher-Black and Josh Burnett all changing teams.