Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Breaking News: Alberto Contador signs for Team Saxo Bank

Team to be renamed Saxo Bank-SunGard, Contador targets Grand Tour treble in 2011

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador has this morning been confirmed as having signed for Danish ProTour outfit Riis Racing for two years. Team owner Bjarne Riis also revealed that Saxo Bank, which earlier this year announced that it would terminate its sponsorship a year early at the end of this season, will continue as a title sponsor for 2011.

IT service firm SunGard, an existing sponsor of the team, steps up to become co-title sponsor, and the team will now be called SunGard-Saxo Bank. 

The Spanish cyclist, who said last week that he would not be renewing his contract with Astana at the end of this season, has also set himself an unprecedented – and some may say impossible – target of winning all three of cycling’s Grand Tours, the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta, next season.

Contador, who last month won the Tour de France for the third time in four years, is already one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, winning the Vuelta and the Giro d’Italia in 2008, a year in which his Astana team was not invited to the Tour, but none of the other riders to have done so - Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx managed to win all three in the same year.

At a press conference in Copenhagen this morning, Riis said: ”Alberto is a world class rider and it's with great pride that I can welcome him onboard the team for the next two years. With three Tour de France victories on his resume and a position as number one on the world rankings, he is sure to stay at the very top for several years to come. Alberto will get a solid, strong and loyal team around him to support him in all terrains and I'm sure that this will be a fruitful alliance.”

That team, of course, will be missing the Schleck brothers, who confirmed last week that they would not be renewing their contracts at the end of the season, their likely destination being the new Luxembourg-based team being put together by the team’s former press officer, Brian Nygaard.

There are likely to be a number of other personnel changes as a result of the Schlecks’ departure and Contador’s arrival, although one rider expected to remain is World and Olympic Time Trial Champion Fabian Cancellara, who together with the Spaniard will put the team in a very strong position in team time trials next season.

Reflecting on his move, Contador said: ”I'm very happy and excited about signing a two year contract with Riis Cycling. With the unique philosophy and team spirit the team offers I'm ensured solid support from the sponsors, administration and staff of riders that I'm looking forward to becoming a part of myself. Historically, Riis Cycling has always been successful and together, we will have the ability to play a very important role in the world of cycling in the years to come.”

During last month’s Tour de France, Riis announced that SunGard had agreed a two-year deal to become co-title sponsor of the team, and that it would be joined by another, unnamed, title sponsor, which has now agreed to step aside following Saxo Bank’s decision to continue with its sponsorship.

The team’s full title is now “Saxo Bank-SunGard Professional Cycling Team,” and this morning, Riis said: “I am very happy to announce Saxo Bank and SunGard as future partners. With these two companies committed to the team, we have a solid financial foundation for the future.”

The Dane continued: “Saxo Bank and SunGard have ensured that the Team can continue its essential role within the world of cycling and will be able to maintain competing at the highest level. With Saxo Bank and SunGard as two strong backers, our future looks very bright. I am grateful for their commitment and I am confident that this will be mutually beneficial to all involved.”

Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christensen, Co-CEOs and co-founders of Saxo Bank, said: “Bjarne Riis has delivered excellent results over the past couple of years and has an impressive plan for 2011.We believe it's important to recognize an unprecedented opportunity when you see one and therefore, we have decided to continue our sponsorship for one more year.”

They continued: “In Saxo Bank, we always aim for the top and we believe Bjarne Riis and his Team can reach that goal next year. While our past collaboration with Bjarne Riis has been fantastic, we also know and trust the new co-title sponsor, SunGard, and that has made this strategic decision an even easier one to make.”

Brian Robins, chief marketing officer of SunGard, added: “We are pleased to extend our sponsorship of Riis Cycling in 2011 and join Saxo Bank as a co-title sponsor. We share Saxo Bank's enthusiasm for this project and we are looking forward to renewing our collaboration. The Saxo Bank-SunGard Professional Cycling Team represents a fantastic opportunity to gain visibility for our brand in front of a global audience.”

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

6 comments

Avatar
Fish_n_Chips | 13 years ago
0 likes

Astanta still have some great riders in their team.

Avatar
simonmb replied to Fish_n_Chips | 13 years ago
0 likes
Fish_n_Chips wrote:

Astanta (sic) still have some great riders in their team.

They don't have any bikes though. Specialized have said they'll only support one team in 2011. Their choice of rider is AC, so one assumes Saxo Bank-Sungard will stay Spesh and that Astana will have to look elsewhere.

Avatar
bikeandy61 | 13 years ago
0 likes

No shock to me in the move. Knowing the Schlecks were moving Contador was the most desirable "free" rider for Riis to go for.

It will be interesting to see how the Schlecks do in a new team and who they will get as team mates. They will certainly need to be good to supply the sort of support that Cancellara, O'Grady, Voigt and others can give. Though obviously some of those are getting to the end of their best before date.

Certainly be another interesting year. Congratulations to Alberto for putting his rep on the line by stating the aim of all three Grand Tours in one year. At first I thought it was big headedness. But then realised that it's good to have someone willing to challenge themselves like this. Good to see someone go back to the old spirit of challenge. Not that winning 7 Tours isn't a challenge. I'm sure you know what I'm getting at.

Avatar
Super Domestique | 13 years ago
0 likes

Will they still be on Spesh bikes then?

Avatar
handlebarcam | 13 years ago
0 likes

Cue wild and unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about Schleck's chain problems in 3, 2, 1...

Avatar
demoff | 13 years ago
0 likes

What a very clever move by Bertie. Who knows what really makes little Andy tick? Bjarne Riis most certainly does.

As Riis says he will polish the diamond a little more.

Next years Tour is going to be a War.

Latest Comments