Fedrigo signs for FDJ, future of Bbox uncertain
Today, Team Francaise des Jeux (FDJ) announced the signing of Pierrick Fédrigo for the 2011 season, while the French cyclists current team, Bbox Bouygues Telecom, home of Thomas Voeckler and Tour de France king-of-the-mountain Anthony
Charteau, is still searching for last-minute sponsorship for the next season before it’s too late.
“He’s a key rider for any team,” said FDJ manager Marc Madiot to L’Équipe. “He knows how to win races and he’s at his ease, even on difficult terrain. He’s coming here to compete for one-day races and to win stages in the stage races. He’s a winner
and he doesn’t waste too many chances to win.”
Fédrigo, who won the Tourmalet stage of the Tour de France in July, has been rumoured to be leaving the team, but he would have stayed if they could have found sponsorship sooner. His stage win, as well as his victory in the Criterium International, was
sure to earn him some interest from other teams, and he will fit right in with the aggressive French riders of FDJ.
However, as Thomas Voeckler said, Fédrigo and Voeckler were the clear leaders of the team. Voeckler was hoping his victory in the new ProTour event the Grand Prix de Quebec on Friday would draw attention to Bbox, but without Fédrigo the likelihood that the
team will fold at the end of the season is significant.
“Jean-René was meant to make an announcement two weeks ago,” said Voeckler to
L’Équipe. “The wait goes on. These past months he has given me the names of possible sponsors, but while he’s been meeting with these contacts changes have been taking place. What seems certain one day is no longer so the next, but then if it was easy
then it would all have been signed already.”
Voeckler is aware that the longer he waits, the harder it will be to find a team, but his time as the leader of the 2004 Tour de France is what brought the team its global reputation, and he feels that he is a piece of the team’s history. The jokester also
suspects that he’s not very popular outside of France, despite his fame at home.
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