Young American success in Europe

Now is the time to start following up and coming American riders in Europe. Over time you'll come to know more about guys like Tyler Farrar and Saul Raisin, not to mention our very own Zach Bolian.

Saul is a Dalton, Georgia native making a name for himself these days with Credit Agricole in Europe. If you rememeber in 2003 at the Tour de Georgia he won the best young rider award.

Currently he's racing Tour de l'Avenir in France, and in today's stage 8 he placed second place behind teammate Bradley Wiggins. The two were in a breakaway together and Bradley beat Saul in the sprint. Despite finishing second Saul walks away with the overall polka dot Climber's Jersey.

Saul has a cool blog that he updates regularly. Check him out here.

Here's another cool interview with Saul from Pezcycling.

Last week Tyler won stage 2 at l'Avenir in a bunch sprint. This victory comes on the heels of winning USPRO Criterium Championships a few weeks ago at Downer's Grove. We'll be eagerly following Tyler in 2006 with the Cofidis team in Europe.

I asked Jesse about Tyler the other day and he commented that Tyler is the real deal. No question the kid can race at a high level.

These two young guns are just a couple of examples of many to watch for in the years to come. I'll blog more about the up and coming talent from the US with a shot to make it on a Pro Tour team. There's more to this sport in the US besides Discovery.