After a 4-year career at the highest level, sprinter Adam Blythe has signed a contract with the British continental team NFTO Pro Cycling for the 2014 season. Having raced for BMC in 2012 and 2013, the Brit is now expected to step into a leadership role on his new team.

When BMC announced their roster for the 2014 season, Adam Blythe's name was missing from the list. After two years on the American team, the 24-year-old sprinter didn't get his contract renewed and has been looking for another place to continue his career.

Blythe has found a new home in his native England as he has signed a contract with the new continental team NFTO Pro Cycling that will be led by former Sky sports director Sean Yates. The Brit is expected to be one of the leaders on the team that has also signed former Sky and current NetApp-Endura rider Russell Downing.

Blythe turned professional with Omega Pharma-Lotto in 2010 and stayed there for two seasons before joining BMC. Showing great promise as a sprinter, he ended his first professional season on a high when he won two stages and the overall at the Circuit Franco-Belge and the traditional end-of-season race Nationale Sluitingsprijs.

In his first year with BMC, he once again his peak condition for the final part of the season where he won a stage in Paris-Correze and the Binche-Tournai-Binche. He also got his chance to play a support role in some of the Belgian classics but was mostly used as a sprinter in some of the smaller stage races.

However, his progress has stalled and after a great start with a 4th place in the Tour of Qatar, he failed to make any big results in the 2013 season. He had limited racing in the second half of the season and has now been forced to step down a level.

Blythe is one of four riders to leave BMC. Mathias Frank will join IAM, Ivan Santaromita has signed a contract with Orica-GreenEDGE and Marco Pinotti ended his career in the Chrono des Nations last Sunday.