Michael Freiberg signs for Pegasus Racing
Australian Commonwealth-Games gold medalist Michael Freiberg has been announced as the latest fresh face of the new Australian professional cycling team Pegasus Racing.
The Chris White-led team boasts 12-time Tour de France stage winner Robbie McEwen and still has an outside chance of being awarded a ProTeam licence for 2011.
"They contacted me the day I arrived home," reported Freiberg to Perth Now.
"[The medals] helped a little bit, but I also rode for their domestic team this year, the Virgin Blue RBS Morgans, so they've got a bit of a pathway there at the moment."
The 20-year-old Perth cyclist won a gold medal in the team pursuit and a silver in the track race at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. He is currently building toward his next big target, the Australian national track cycling championships
in January, after which he will head to his new team’s training camp with such top-level road cyclists as Christian Knees, Svein Tuft, Robbie Hunter and Trent Lowe.
"It's the first steps on the long road to the top. We'll be racing the US next year, then the next step is Europe, and from there it will be the Spring Classics and all the big tours Tour de France, Giro d'Italia. That's really where I want to be."
The Pegasus Racing team is most likely going to be awarded a Pro Continental licence by the UCI for the 2011 season, but Chris White has said he is determined to get ProTeam status for 2012.
The team has been on the foundation of Fly V Australia, which has a strong international record already, and White’s major concern in 2011 is that he wants the team to race in the Tour Down Under, but only two Pro Continental teams have been invited to that
race since 2008.
"I mean, we are Australia’s best team. It is Australia’s best cycling event – Australia’s best sporting event," said White. "We’d love to be there."
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