Jens Voigt signs up for another year with RadioShack-Nissan-Trek

Jens Voigt, who celebrates his 40th birthday during the Tour of Britain which starts in Scotland on Sunday, has signed a one-year extension to his contract with Leopard SA and will race for the Radioshack-Nissan-Trek team during 2012.

The popular German was a key member of the team that helped Andy and Fränk Schleck’s secure second and third place respectively in July’s Tour de France, and Voigt is determined to ride the race for the fifteenth time next summer – only Joop Zoetemelk and George Hincapie have raced more, with 16 participations apiece.

“It is my dream to bring one of the Schleck brothers in the yellow jersey to Paris, so I’m happy to continue riding with them and try to secure an overall victory in the Tour de France,” said Voigt, who moved to Leopard Trek with the brothers from Saxo Bank.

“It's been an exciting journey so far and I’m proud that I can be part of this team next season”, he continued. “The recent changes in the team’s structure have been challenging for all of us, and I hope there will be swift solutions for all riders and staff.

“I may be turning 40 in a week, but my engine is big enough to support my captains,” added Voigt, who has three Tour de France stage victories to his name plus one in the Vuelta. The last of his more than 60 professional wins was a stage of the Volta a Catalunya during 2010.

“Maybe I won’t win a race anymore, but I can certainly give the young riders some advices on how to win.”