Alberto Contador Signs for Saxo Bank
Three time champion of Tour de France competition and reigning champion Alberto Contador has signed for Denmark's Saxo Bank team. The announcement was made by team manager Bjarne Riis who added that the champion was happy with his new association.
"I am proud and honoured that I am able to introduce Alberto Contador to our team next year," Riis announced in Copenhagen.
"It is a fantastic opportunity that has occurred and that we are able to realise," added Riis.
The champion from Spain made the announcement last week that he was not keen on renewing his contract with Kazakh-funded Astana who he joined in 2008.
Riis feels that the Spaniard will have a great impact and his billing as a world class cyclist is going to help his team a great deal apart from inspiring the rest of the members of the club.
The team manager added that they were all very excited at the prospects of having him in the team, and cannot wait to have him race for them at a top class international event soon.
"It gives a lot of possibilities. It gives a new challenge, a great challenge. Obviously, he's probably the best rider in the world so I think that's huge for me and my team. I think it gives possibilities that are for sure, I mean ambitions, a lot of ambitions. I mean one of his ambitions is to win all three big tours in one year - that's a great one and I like that challenge," he said.
Riis is a renowned cyclist himself who has tasted success at the highest level; he made a real impact on the circuit with the crowning glory being a victory in the 1996 Tour De France race.
He hopes that the team delivers in the presence of Contador, and makes a real impression in his presence.
"I think I would have a big role in that no doubt about that and I believe in it and I think it's going to be difficult, it's hard - it's hard just to be a bike rider, we know that - but it's a great challenge" he said.
Contador, who is hailed as a champion in his country, received a great ovation after his stunning effort in this year’s Tour de France which was his third title.
The Spaniard ended the race on July 25, with an incredible win that capped off a gruelling three-week period.
The race was an extremely tight affair with Contador recording a win with a difference of just 39 seconds against the number two cyclist, who was former Saxo Bank team leader, Andy Schleck.
Riis hopes that with the arrival of Contador his team will gel in and work together at achieving their goals with a concerted effort.
"I think our team work will always be the same and I mean, I think all riders and athletes are big egoists and on their own very much so I think that what it takes is a strong leader that can bind them together as a team and I think that I've proven that many times and I believe I can do that again," Riis said.
Meanwhile all is still not rosy for the Saxo Bank team as the Schleck brothers have announced that they will be parting ways with the team before the start of the new season.
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