Contador joins Saxo Bank-SunGuard

Reuters - Tue, 03 Aug 11:24:00 2010

Three-times Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has signed for Denmark's Saxo Bank-SunGuard team on a two-year contract, team manager Bjarne Riis announced.

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"I am proud and honoured that I am able to introduce Alberto Contador to our team next year," Riis told a news conference.

"It is an impossible opportunity that has occurred and that we are able to realise."

"I am proud to be able to attract the world's best to a Danish cycling team," added Riis.

Spaniard Contador announced last week he would not renew his contract with Kazakh-funded Astana who he joined in 2008.

"I think I've chosen the best option and I'm confident that Riis will build a great team in 2011," Contador said in a statement.

Contador won his third Tour de France title last month, finishing the three-week race 39 seconds ahead of Saxo Bank team leader Andy Schleck.

Riis said he was convinced that Contador's full potential is yet to be seen and added that he has great ambitions for the Spanish rider.

"It is obvious that we are going for the Tour de France, but Alberto told me a while ago that his ambition is to win all the three major tours in one year," Riis said.

Italy's Giro d'Italia and Spain's Vuelta a Espana are the other two major stage races in cycling.

"I am not sure it will be next year but one of the following years it is our ambition - and I believe it can be done," Riis said.

Luxembourg rider Schleck, also runner-up to Contador in 2009, and his brother Frank have said they will leave Team Saxo Bank at the end of the season.

Riis declined to say whether other new riders would follow Contador into the Saxo team.

Saxo Bank will remain a co-sponsor of the team, which has also enrolled US software group SunGard as a co-sponsor.

The announcement reversed a January decision by Saxo Bank to drop its sponsorship of the cycling team at the end of 2010.

"The team will be called Saxo Bank-SunGard Professional Cycling Team," Saxo Bank said in a statement.

"With these two companies committed to the team, we have a solid financial foundation for the future," Riis said.

Riis won the Tour de France in 1996 but in 2007 he admitted using banned drugs.

Reuters

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  1. hey guys where dose that leave Andy,?

    From Francis O, on Thu 5 Aug 13:05

  2. @Bojan I was watching too, but u need to read news day­ later what is sad Vino and what say Aroyo. Aroyo wanted­ to wait Sastre, Evans and together (with Vino) to chase­ Basso, but Vino was down in GC (against Sastre and­ Evans), for Vino wasnt good to wait Sastre and Evans­ because he want good place in GC. VIno wanted with­ Aroyo to work to catch Basso, not to wait, and gap was­ 40 seconds behind Basso in that moment.

    Pogledaj­ pazljivo na Djiro strani imas sva vremena u svakom­ trenutku, nisi dobro pazio

    From Bobcha, on Thu 5 Aug 12:32

  3. Thank you post 69, I heard it was almost a done deal,­ the chicken is desperate to join Riis' team.

    From Big Man, on Thu 5 Aug 8:13

  4. ... and Michael ''Chicken'' Rasmussen­ is likely expected with Riis as well.
    This is not a­ joke!

    From Florian, on Thu 5 Aug 7:26

  5. Spartacus is staying with Riis

    From Big Man, on Thu 5 Aug 4:20

  6. If Cancellara stays with Riis will he stop everyone­ racing if the Schlecks fall off once they are not on­ his team?

    From Bikefan, on Thu 5 Aug 4:08

  7. Darrell- Taylor Phinney is a classics rider. He's­ won the U23 Paris-Roubaix. Based on his history and­ genetics, he's more likely a green jersey contendor­ than yellow.

    From Maxx92, on Thu 5 Aug 3:36

  8. Post 56, Chris Anker Sørensen is staying with Riis.

    From Big Man, on Thu 5 Aug 2:06

  9. Few more riders to saxo bank sungard, Jesus Hernandez,­ David de la Fuente & Carlos Barredo. Beginning to­ see how Riis got AC to sign now, this team will blow­ everyone away.

    From Big Man, on Thu 5 Aug 1:38

  10. #53 - Don't agree that AC will give support to FC­ for Liege but do agree on Nibali and Basso for Liquigas­ (with Basso being the man up he road) but only if they­ both pass on the Giro and do the TDF.. which being­ Italian ios not likely..

    From Shiek, on Thu 5 Aug 1:36

  11. Benjamin Noval og Daniel Navarro coming to saxo bank­ also.

    From Big Man, on Thu 5 Aug 1:35

  12. Good move from Riis to get AC, the Chicken might arrive­ next wink wink!

    From Big Man, on Thu 5 Aug 1:23

  13. saw Contador win in Castillon last night; great race

    From Michael M, on Wed 4 Aug 23:54

  14. @ Bobcha : YY, but i thought that in the moment when­ Arroyo passed Vino, and stuck with him, Vino did not­ wanna do any work for almost 2 minutes there, that is­ the reason Arroyo stopped... Maybe I'm mistaking, I­ watched the @#$% stage ;)

    From Bojan, on Wed 4 Aug 22:19

  15. The future of RadioShack is Taylor Phinney to battle­ with with Contador, the Schleck and Menchov. I dont see­ some riders staying with Astana or RadioShack.

    From DARRELL, on Wed 4 Aug 21:13

  16. @Bojan
    everything U sad is true, except Vino dont want­ to work with Aroyo. What is the truth is, Vino wants to­ get distance from others GC contenders and work with­ Aroyo (Vino and Aroyo would get Basso and Nibali in­ front), but Aroyo want to wait those riders behind and­ hope they all five work together, then Vino deside let­ Aroyo to wait others and work alone

    From Bobcha, on Wed 4 Aug 14:07

  17. Jakob Fuglsang, Jens Voigt, Stuart O’Grady, and Chris­ Anker Sorensen.

    From Thomas, on Wed 4 Aug 13:44

  18. Does anyone know who else is rumoured to be leaving­ Saxo and going with the Schlecks?

    From Catherine, on Wed 4 Aug 12:42

  19. New Luxembourg Team.... it looks like the Schlecks are­ doing a "Bradley Wiggins", let's hope­ that it does not end with the same result!

    From Catherine, on Wed 4 Aug 12:37

  20. #19 marija : I do not think that Giro was the race with­ more quality, simply it was more interesting... You did­ not have AC/Andy there... Vino/Cadel Evans (who would­ definately be 3rd at TdF in my opinion if he did not­ broke that bone)/Nibali were there, Basso won it thanks­ to Evans' bad for, thanks to great preparation and­ thanks to Nivali and VINO! Vino did not wanna go with­ Arroyo in that crucial stage, and Basso got advantage.­ From the begining of the TdF 2010 there was just one­ question... Can Andy bit AC this year? I also give­ credit to Menchov, one of the greatest riders in the­ past decade, he played it beautifully for the­ podium!

    #37 Shiek : I think that AC can give advantage­ to Super Fabian at those races... Fabian is the rider­ every team in the world would love to have in their­ colours... Saxo Bank has that privilege, hope they wont­ mess it up! Definately 2-3 great Spanish-support riders­ could give great allround strenght to allready strong­ Saxo Bank.. And that about Liquigas... I can see­ Kreuziger only as a podium contender in the future, at­ TdF... Cant say about other two GT, anything is­ possible... But if all 3 Liquigas riders stick together­ and prepare theirselves for TdF, I can see Nibali as a­ very very strong contender!

    From Bojan, on Wed 4 Aug 12:36
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