After seven seasons with the Garmin-Sharp outfit, Tyler Farrar will line up as a part of different squad next season. Being openly excited about joining the MTN-Qhubeka growing project, the American sprinter openly admitted that several past seasons didn’t turn out exactly in line with his own expectations and thus he decided to redefine his challenges and role in the professional peloton.

Despite being the most successful American sprinter do date, several seasons have passed since Farrar claimed his most respectable victories and an evolution of field sprinting certainly didn’t go in a direction he would have appreciated.

Lacking enough horsepower to challenge such athletes like Marcel Kittel, John Degenkolb  (Giant-Shimano) or Nacer Bouhanni, what was reflected in winning only two races last two seasons, the 30-year old American agreed that his role in the professional peloton needs to be redefined to push his career any further.

“Field sprinting has really evolved a lot over the last five years. There is no one dominant sprint train. Now, there are three or four teams who can do lead-outs for the sprints, and that’s changed the dynamic a lot. Greipel and Kittel are putting out insane watts. And there are some very good young sprinters coming up, like Degenkolb and Bouhanni, and then there’s always Cavendish. It’s been an incredible generation of sprinters.”

What’s more, Garmin-Sharp manager Jonathan Vaughters made it absolutely clear in the end of last year that Farrar needs to perform in order to stay in the American outfit, what he eventually failed to do. The it was announced that Garmin will merge with Cannondale with contracted Italian team riders free to sing with a new team there were no doubts, that the 30-year old sprinter had to look for a new employer after seven seasons.

In an interview for VeloNews Farrar revealed that despite staying in contact with several squads, quickly growing MTN-Qhubeka project earned his attention right from the start and that they know exactly which buttons to push in order to get him on board.

“Brian Smith got in contact with me over the summer to feel me out for next year, and to fill me in on what they were doing. Right from the outset, I was pretty impressed. It’s a cool program, with some neat ideas. We went back and forth on my goals and theirs, and things lined up nicely. It felt like a good move right from the start.”

“I did speak to a few people, but from the beginning, from my first conversation with Brian, I was really excited about the program. It wasn’t a done deal, but when I hung up the phone, I thought, I hope that works out, because it sounds great.”

“Right from outset, they wanted to challenge me a bit to think of this as an opportunity to begin a new chapter in my career, to think of myself a little differently as a rider. I have to look at my career has unfolded, and be honest.”

“I am excited to be a part of this development, helping the younger guys on the team, and helping the African guys who are new to European racing. I’ve been racing a long time, and I think I can help those guys.”

The 30-year old American revealed that once he is not competitive enough to face pure sprinters in completely flat stage finales, he aims to develop as a classics specialist and try himself as a part of lead-out of another fast finishers who would join the South African squad for the next season.

“When you look at the way sprinters have evolved, how I’ve matured as a rider, I am not at that level as one of the top sprinters in the worlds right now. I’ve continued to progress in the classics, and what I’ve lost in snap, I’ve gained in speed. I will move more toward spring classics, and continue to develop in that direction. I want to step outside my comfort zone, to put myself in position to win again.”

“If it wasn’t my best classics season, it was right up there. I was solid in the races that were good for me. I felt like I met my goals. This is a team that is keen for me to continue to move in that direction. “

“At certain times of year, I will be able to sprint for myself. We will have a pretty amazing sprint squad, with a lot of horsepower. I will still get my chance to sprint, but we have Theo Bos, and when it comes to a pure field sprinter, he is super quick. We’ll be riding a lot for him.”

“This is also a chance for me to move forward, and try a lead-out role a little bit. I have a lot of experience when it comes to sprinting. I think I could be good in the role.”