Joe Dombrowski is back in training in Nice and is still hoping to find a team for 2024, still convinced he can perform at WorldTour and Grand Tour level.
The 32-year-old American's contract with Astana Qazaqstan ended this year and he was not retained as the team focused on strengthening their sprint group around Mark Cavendish. However, Dombrowski is still motivated to train and race in 2024.
He turned professional with Team Sky in 2013 after winning the Under 23 Giro d'Italia and then raced for Cannondale and EF Education, UAE Team Emirates and Astana Qazaqstan. He won a stage at the 2021 Giro d'Italia and played a key role in helping Vincenzo Nibali to finish fourth overall at the 2022 Giro d'Italia. His 2023 season was affected by illness but he finished the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España.
Dombrowski has kept a low profile in recent weeks as his agent Joona Laukka worked to try to find him a team for 2024. They are hoping a WorldTour squad or ProTeam can see his qualities as a rider and as a possible mentor to young riders.
"I know my options could be limited so later in the year but if there was an opportunity with a team, I think I can prove my worth in stage races and Grand Tours," Dombrowski told Cyclingnews from Nice, which he calls home and lives even during the off-season.
"I still love riding and racing and I'm motivated to continue racing, I think that I can continue at a high level."
In 2021, Dombrowski dropped Alessandro De Marchi, Jan Tratnik, Attila Valter and others to win stage 4 of the Giro d'Italia to Sestola in the Apennines. In 2022 Nibali was riding his final Giro d'Italia and came close to a place on the final podium thanks to support from Dombrowski and David de la Cruz.
De la Cruz has just secured a place with Q36.5 for 2024, giving Dombrowski hope that a team can also see what he can offer.
"2023 wasn't a great season for me for a number of reasons but I know that my performance numbers and level are still as good as ever," he said.
"Winning a stage at a Grand Tour depends on you getting into the right break, the move staying away to the finish and then you being able to win. In a certain sense, it's also about luck. Working for a team leader in stages is more of an engine room task that isn't often seen but is important to a team, too. I think I can do both roles, as well as mentoring young riders who have recently turned pro."
Dombrowski successfully returned to racing after iliac artery surgery in 2014 and has since ridden 14 Grand Tours, only failing to finish the 2021 Giro d'Italia after a high-speed crash just two days after his stage win.
"I think my experience can be of value to a team," Dombrowski suggested.
"When I look back to when I was a neo-pro, I realise how much I didn't know now about the sport. Now I've got the experience to understand it all and handle it all, and I'd be happy to share that with young riders. I just need a team willing to put their trust in me."
