Floris Gerts, a stagiaire this year for the BMC Racing Team, will be part of the BMC Racing Team in 2016, President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz announced Monday.

Ochowicz said the 23-year-old Dutchman is a promising classics specialist who has shown his potential while riding for the BMC Racing Team since last month.

"This is yet another confirmation of the quality of the BMC Development Team," Ochowicz said. "Floris has earned the right to graduate from where he is today and join the BMC Racing Team in 2016."

Gerts finished third Saturday at Primus Classic Impanis-Van Petegem. At the Aviva Tour of Britain earlier this month, he had been as high as third overall on the general classification before a crash forced his withdrawal. He started the season with the BMC Development Team and won the Under 23 edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in July. In March, he was victorious at Dorpenomloop Rucphen and Stage 6 of the Tour de Normandie.

"The BMC Racing Team is really the best team for me," Gerts said. "I was already really happy at the BMC Development Team because of the atmosphere and philosophy. Everybody can have their own results while riding together as a team. With the BMC Racing Team, it is the same. There is a lot of appreciation when you do something for the team. In the end, it is a real team effort and it feels like family, which is great."

Gerts said he aspires to learn from the team's veterans while contributing whenever he can.

"I can hope for some bigger races - like the WorldTour ones - to have a good role in helping the leaders," he said. "In the small races, I hope I can show myself. It would be nice to win and make some steps in that way and become stronger and get results when I have a free role."