Luca Paolini signs for Katusha
Filippo Pozzato has said that his race at the UCI Road World Championships was the high point of his season. And now, with Luca Paolini’s signing to team Katusha, Pozzato has one more of his Italian National Team compatriots to support him in the WorldTour
next season.
"Personally, I think riding for Italy at the world championship was my best moment of the season," wrote Pozzato in his
Cyclingnews blog. "I was the captain, but wasn't affected by the pressure and the Italian team was really tight."
33-year-old Paolini has a long record of podium finishes in the Classics and rode an impressive 2010 season with Italian Continental team Acqua e Sapone, his top victory being the points jersey at the Three Days of De Panne, where he also took podium finishes
in one stage and overall.
He will be completing a new, powerful Classics team at Katusha to be led by Pozzato, which will include other new signings Leif Hoste and Aleksandr Kuschynski.
Andrei Tchmil, president of the Russian team, has also expressed interest in hiring Mario Cipollini as a technical consultant, a suggestion that Pozzato is less enthusiastic about.
"What we've achieved so far is comforting because we built the team from scratch, but we want to do even better and win even more. We need someone like Cipollini, but as a mentor," said Tchmil to
Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I'd like someone in the team that can point out to Pozzato the mistakes that he makes."
Cipollini publicly criticized Pozzato’s performance at the World Championships and Tchmil agreed with the criticism, but Pozzato remains unaffected.
"I've nothing against Cipollini and it's not up to me to decide who works at Katusha team, but I know he won't help me win anymore," wrote Pozzato in his blog. "And I think Andrei Tchmil knows that too."
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