Steven Roberts' transition from champion mountain biker to rising road race star hasn't escaped the notice of those in the cycling game.
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The Tamworth Cycling Club member has been signed by MTOSS Racing for the upcoming road season.
"It's pretty exciting," the teenager said.
Set to turn 18 next week it was a great early birthday present. As he looks to focus more on the road, he said it had been a goal to sign with a team by the end of this year.
MTOSS did put out some feelers during January's National Road Racing Championships, where Roberts impressed, finishing second in the King of the Mountain classification in the under-19s road race and 12th in the criterium.
But at that stage he was still concentrating on mountain biking. Since then his thinking has changed a bit.
"I see more potential on the road," he said.
He isn't giving away mountain biking completely.
"I'll do a couple of events like the state championships and a couple of national rounds," he said.
"But my focus is going to be on the road this season."
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His first race with MTOSS will be next month's L'Étape Australia by Tour de France.
Billed as a Tour de France for amateur riders, it will be a bit of a baptism of fire for Roberts - a 170km torture test through the mountainous terrain of the Snowy Mountains, and boasting climbs to a peak of a 3,000m.
Over 60km more than he raced at the nationals, it will be a big challenge.
But 'bring it on' he says.
It has been a pretty rapid progression, with Roberts only taking up road racing about two years ago.
Already possessing the bike skills from his mountain biking days, he said the biggest thing has been building that distance fitness.
"From mountain biking I had a lot of speed and short power," he said.
"From a road perspective I have to work on that drawn out power."
At the moment he is averaging about 300km a week, but that will pick up over the next month and leading into the nationals, which is the main event on the radar.
After slogging it out on his own this year Roberts is looking forward to racing as part of a team and seeing what he can do. He spoke of feeling like he was "just swamped by people" this year.
That will be one of the big benefits of being involved with MTOSS, of which Armidale's Michael Harris is also a member of - having the support of a team around you.
Roberts' immediate priority however isn't on the bike.
The Oxley High student starts his HSC in just a little over a week.
