Bjarne Riis keen to sign point scoring cyclists for the 2013 season
Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank was on the verge of losing its World Tour status after the CAS banned Alberto Contador earlier in 2012.
The Spaniard faced a two-year ban for doping and the jury also disqualified all of UCI points since the Tour de France 2010.
Contador contributed almost 70% of the total UCI points earned by the team and his exit raised a lot of questions on the team’s World Tour status.
However, UCI allowed the team to ride at the top level of the sport and it seems as if Bjarne Riis is only interested in riders that can score UCI points.
The team is continuously at the bottom of the UCI Elite Men team’s ranking and Riis is feeling the pressure to hire the point scoring cyclists.
Anders Lund of Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank might have to search a new home to continue his professional pursuit for the same reason.
Lund has ridden as a domestique at the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia but the cyclist has struggled to secure any UCI points, which is the main reason why he may have to leave the side.
The Dane is now uncertain of his future as he has not heard anything about the renewal of his contract from the authorities.
He briefed to Ekstrabladet.dk, “There's nothing new about a contract yet. I have not renewed yet, unfortunately”.
“But I hope soon to get a clarification. I am quite confident about that coming soon. I really hope so. But I also read mathematics out of the points stuff”.
“There's some riders that he (Riis, ed.) wants, and they have shown more than I have”.
“It is clear that the points are the sticking point,” Lund said.”Otherwise I feel that I fit well into the team. I feel good here. And I also think that Bjarne likes that I'm riding for his team”.
Alberto Contador has now returned to professional cycling and will lead Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank at the Vuelta a Espana 2012.
He will be accompanied by Jesus Hernandez Blazquez, Rafal Majka, Daniel Navarro Garcia, Benjamin Noval Gonzalez, Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho, Bruno Pires, Nicki Sorensen and Matteo Tosatto.
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