The white jersey of British National Road Race Champion will be adorned with a Linda McCartney diamond next season. John Tanner, holder of that prestigious office for two consecutive seasons, is joining the Linda McCartney Pro Cycling Team.

"John has been one of, if not the best home-based Briton for a few years now," said a delighted Sean Yates, the man who will manage "JT" at Linda McCartney in 2001. "He has won countless races that we would have liked to have won, and I didn't want to see him steal our glory anymore!"

John goes straight in to the hurly-burly of world cycling with a debut at the Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under in Australia in January. After that, he will follow a European programme that offers a ride in the Tour of Italy as a juicy goal to aim for. But how will he find the transition from UK racing to the world professional scene?

"I've been lucky enough to ride a lot of good races abroad during my time as a British pro," reasons John. "I've been to the Tour of Langkawi, Commonwealth Games, and this year of course there were the Olympics, so it's not like it'll be completely virgin territory."

His new team captain Max Sciandri certainly has no doubts about JT's ability. "A few years ago, guys in Italy used to poke fun at British cyclists, saying we weren't professional, and couldn't ride at the big races. It's people like John who have changed that. He was so strong at the Olympics, working hard for me all day, but still having the strength to finish just outside the top 30. When Sean asked me what I thought of him, I had no hesitation in recommending him to the team."