Team Dimension Data (which was known as MTN-Qhubeka in 2015) has approached Igor Anton and shown interest in signing the Basque rider for the 2016 season. The South African team will move up to the WorldTour next year and wants to add further reinforcements.

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Anton who rode for Movistar Team in the last two seasons, wants a new challenge in his career and is looking for new motivation abroad while still riding at the highest level. Dimension Data is looking for a rider with his characteristics who can do well in stage races. According to Spanish website BiciCiclismo, Anton's agent Giuseppe Acquadro and Brian Smith, manager of Dimension Data, are negotiating an agreement that would allow the Galdakao continue in the WorldTour. Anton has tried to save his career and may have found a solution.

Dimension Data joins the WorldTour after having signed Mark Cavendish as new star rider and Rolf Aldag to strengthen the sports management. Anton should get plenty of room to ride for himself because most of the young African riders are not ready to go for GC in major stage races yet. Cavendish and Mark Renshaw (Etixx-QuickStep), Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge), Bernhard Eisel and Kanstantin Siutsou (Team Sky), Oma Fraile (Caja Rural-RGA) and Nathan Haas (Garmin-Cannondale) are the new signings.

Edvald Boasson Hagen, Steve Cummings, Tyler Farrar, Serge Pauwels, Theo Bos, Matt Brammeier, Kristian Sbaragli, Adrien Niyonshuti, Jacques Janse van Rensburg, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Daniel Teklehaymanot, Merhawi Kudus, Natnael Berhane, Youcef Reguigui, Johann van Zyl , Jaco Venter, Jay Thomson, Songezo Jim and Nic Dougall complete the 27-rider roster that includes 12 African riders. They have all been attending a first training camp in Cape Town.

32-year-old Anton rode for Euskaltel-Euskadi between 2005 and 2013 and spent the last years at Movistar Team. He has four stage wins in the Vuelta (Calar Alto 2006, Valdepeñas de Jaén and Vallnord-Pal in 2010 and Bilbao 2011) and has been in the 10 twice, eighth in 2007 and ninth in 2012. In 2010 he led the race until he crashed out while he looked poised to take the final victory. In 2011 he made his mark in the Giro d'Italia when he beat Contador, Nibali, Scarponi and Menchov on the Monte Zoncolan ahead of Contador, Nibali, Scarponi and Menchov. His palmares also include two stages in the Tour de Romandie and the Tour of Switzerland. He has excelled in the Ardennes where he has been fourth, fifth and eighth in Fleche Wallonne and seventh and 12th in Liege.

In2 015 he returned to his winning ways in the Vuelta a Asturias where he won a stage and the overall and he was third in the Vuelta a Castilla y León. He was unable to deliver similar results in the Giro d'Italia. Last year he accompanied Nairo Quintana when the Colombian won the Giro.