December 14, 2006 — David Veilleux, a promising 19-year-old “boy wonder” from near Quebec City, formerly with Garneau-Optik, will definitely be riding for US-based Jittery Joe’s in 2007, according to the Soleil de Quebec. This move was expected as we previously reported that Garneau-Optik team president, Louis Garneau, was a key force behind Veilleux’s “defection.” Garneau compares the young Veilleux to Steve Bauer and has convinced Jittery Joe’s directeur sportif to take the cyclist and “to help his development.”

“The original objective was to go to the pros next year (in 2008). We will go there a little faster than expected, but we’ll do things properly. The US team has accepted the plan proposed by Louis (Garneau) and my coach (Pierre Hutsebaut). This will let me have a year to adapt to the circuits,” explained Veilleux, the U23 Canadian TT and road champion yesterday from the Garneau factory on the outskirts of Quebec City.

Veilleux added the following in an interview with Veloptimum: “To ensure that I keep improving, to gain experience, I will have to take part in more top-level races in the USA, or in Europe. With my coach, Pierre Hutsebaut, I have analyzed different offers from American team and have made a decision. I chose Jittery Joe’s (based in Athens, Georgia) because it has been constantly improving over the past few years. JJ participates in many UCI races on the American circuit.”