Philip Deignan joins Team RadioShack
Irish cyclist Philip Deignan has signed a deal with Johan Bruyneel to ride for Team RadioShack through 2011. The rare one-year deal is the result of the men’s Cervélo TestTeam disbanding at the end of the season, which was announced
unexpectedly in September and has left many of the team’s riders scrambling to change their plans.
“We’re all pretty shocked about it,” said Deignan to Cyclingnews. “It wasn’t something that we were expecting. We know that it was strange that there were no signings in August, but the team [was] saying they wanted to see if they were ProTour and
what the budget would be and how many riders they were going to need. So we were expecting changes, but I don’t think anyone was expecting the team to stop. We’re shocked and disappointed that the management have left it this late to tell everyone about it.”
The Irishman is a solid climber who will bolster the American team’s stage-race lineup. Deignan’s first professional victory was a stage win in the 2009 Vuelta a Espana, which he went on to finish in ninth overall. He was the first Irishman to finish in
the top 10 of a Grand Tour since the 1993 Giro d’Italia, leaving the Tour de France as the only Grand Tour that Deignan hasn’t yet competed in. His rides in the Giro and the Vuelta both suffered this year due to illness.
“I have just been resting up recently, but I started back training this week,” said Deignan of his training for next season.
“I’m feeling a lot better and am looking forward to getting going again. The problem was a recurrence of viral infections due to my immune system being so run down. I am feeling much better now.”
The 27-year-old began his professional cycling career with Team AG2R in 2006 and moved to Cervélo at the end of 2008. Now most of the riders from that team are filling the spaces in Team Garmin, while RadioShack has been picking up
some of the best young cyclist for next year.
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