Daniele Bennati seeks comfort at Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
After serving the Luxembourg outfit for two years, Daniele Bennati has decided to construct his fate with Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank for the coming season.
"When Bjarne contacted me, I immediately had an excellent feeling, and it's a dream come true for me to be able to ride for at team like Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank," the 31-year briefed after accepting an offer from Riis.
The cyclist rode brilliantly throughout the 2011 season and bagged numerous stage victories including a stage each at the Circuit de la Sarthe, the Vuelta a Espana, Tour de Wallonie and the Tour of Austria 2011.
He finished second at the Gent-Wevelgem and occupied the third overall position at the Vuelta a Espana 2011 during his stay with Team Leopard Trek in 2011.
Team Leopard Trek and Team RadioShack-Nissan decided to merge for the 2012 season and only the top performers from each team were given the contracts.
Bennati’s 2011 performance was good enough to ride through one of the strongest World Tour team for the 2012 season.
The team however could not perform to its calibre and the season ends to be very disappointing for Bjarne Riis.
Daniele’s only victory in the current season came during the Spanish Grand Tour when he managed to get through the defences of Ben Swift by a whisker and claimed the first position during the 204.5 kilometre chase to Valladolid.
Bjarne Riis of Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank was delighted to have Bennati on board for the season ahead and noted that his experience can really help some of the younger players in the side.
"I see Daniele as a great asset for our team. He is experienced and strong and can prevail in both tougher one-day races and stage races,” Riis commented.
“He showed in this year's Vuelta he is capable of sprinting with the best and still get results on his own”.
“But he can also be a great help for his teammates, when it comes to the battle of positioning in the peloton and in team time trials".
The Danish Team is having a disappointing season and failed to make an impression especially after losing its star rider, Alberto Contador for doping.
However, after securing the new sponsor, Tinkoff Bank and some new signings, Bjarne is certain of an improved team performance in the coming season.
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