Jonathan Page in a tight spot
Jonathan Page, one of the top American cyclo-cross riders, is in a tight spot since his sponsor, Planet Bike, announced that they would not be offering him a contract for 2011.
“I talked with Bob Downs, the owner from Planet Bike,” said Page to Cyclingnews. “He's selling the company and the new people are not interested in the cyclo-cross team; my contract will not be extended.”
The 34-year-old rider hasn’t been able to take any top-10 finishes in Europe this season. He won the silver medal in the 2007 World cyclo-cross championships but missed the next two championships. In 2008 he split with his Sunweb-Projob team after a fight
with manager Jürgen Mettepenningen, and in 2009 he was temporarily suspended after missing a doping control, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
"It's a bit of a roller-coaster right now. It's much more than just the bike racing. I'm not performing on the bike as I would want to, my wife is pregnant and I don't have a title sponsor for the next season."
He had already missed the 2006 championships due to an injury and he might be forced to miss the 2010 championships if his current woes continue. Fellow rider Katie Compton has also confirmed that her Planet Bike contract was not being extended, but she
has the benefit of a long list of season victories so far.
"I'm worried about my future more than anything but I still feel like I have gas in the tank. I still have the desire to do my best," said Page.
The American once again finished out of the top-10 in Sunday’s Superprestige race in Gavere. He finished in 14th, 3:18 behind winner Sven Nys. Compton did not compete in the race despite being a triple-winner of the event.
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