Roman Kreuziger has revealed his friend Vincenzo Nibali asked him to ride at Bahrain-Merida with him, but the idea of supporting young riders like Esteban Chaves and the Yates brothers was more appealing as he signed for Orica-BikeExchange.

"My manager and I were talking in January and we sat down with my wife and we made a list of the WorldTour teams that would be good for me when it came to 2017 and 2018," Kreuziger told Cyclingnews. "We got it down to around four or five teams but then it went quiet for a couple of months. Orica had been my first choice in January, with BMC as well and then during the Tour my agent called me and said that Orica was interested. I spoke to Matt White and I was really excited. They handled all the contracts really well and the choice for me was pretty clear.”

Kreuziger revealed BMC couldn’t confirm a two year deal as they still had sponsorship issues up in the air and Bahrain-Merida weren’t a concrete team yet. Orica were more than happy to wrap a deal up with the Czech star before the Vuelta started, which really pleased him.

Kreuziger revealed he knows his program but prefers to let the team announce it. He will be supporting one of the three Grand Tour leaders, while taking his own chances in certain stage races and the Ardennes. He has won Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie, as well as a stage in the Giro and Amstel Gold Race and Clasica San Sebastian.

"I'll be in the Grand Tours with either the Yates brothers or Esteban. I'm a bit of a guarantee for the team because I can be pretty consistent so they know I can be the last man for a leader and be there if something happens."