Bjarne Riis Joins Forces with Alberto Contador
On the back of intense speculation about the future of his Riis Cycling enterprise, Danish manager Bjarne Riis made his first announcements about his new team in Copenhagen, Denmark on Tuesday.
Danish investment bank Saxo Bank will continue to sponsor Riis' team for another year, alongside IT company SunGard. Specialized will continue to supply the team with bikes and equipment.
But Tuesday's major announcement concerned recent Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. The Spaniard has agreed to a two-year contract with Riis.
Contador, the world's top-ranked cyclist with every Grand Tour title to his name, will be team leader of Riis' new formation.
”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," Riis told the gathered journalists.
Like Contador, Riis has three Tour titles his name, having retired in 1999 to pursue a career in cycling management instead.
Contador's New Home
Contador's new management is sure to provide a more stable environment than Team Astana has, the turbulent Kazakh team where he spent the last three seasons.
"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," Riis said.
Besides his three Tour wins, Contador has also won the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana. Both victories came in 2008, when his Team Astana was banned from starting in the Tour because of doping controversies.
Absent when Riis made the announcement to the press, Contador expressed his excitement at the new deal in a statement released ahead of the press conference.
"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," the statement said.
Schleck Remains Contador's Main Rival
Between 2005 and 2010, Riis managed Andy Schleck, who finished second behind Contador in the last two legs of the Tour de France.
Schleck, who will likely be Contador's main contender in 2011, left Riis' Team Saxo Bank this summer to start his own team in Luxembourg alongside his older brother Frank, and Riis' former directeur sportif Kim Andersen.
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