Team Sky set to bolster roster
British cycling outift Team Sky is set to make several new signings ahead of the 2011 season.
Dave Brailsford, general manager of the team, told Cyclingnews that several deals are in the making, but that their details will remain secret.
"We're doing our business behind closed doors this year. Last year there was a lot of speculation about which riders we were going to sign and it became counter-productive," he said. "People shouldn't think we're not in the market for good riders. We are. But we're not going to announce things until we're ready to do it."
Cancellara of interest
Team Sky have been linked with Caisse d'Epargne duo Rigoberto Uran and Vasili Kiryienka in the press, while Trek-Livestrong's U23 prospect Alex Dowsett may also be of interest for the newly founded team.
While declining to comment on any of the names above, Brailsford did confirm his team's interest in Team Saxo Bank's Swiss sprinter Fabian Cancellara. With several stage wins on the Grand Tour to his name, landing Cancellara would be a major success for Team Sky.
"Cancellara is under contract for another season with Bjarne Riis but if he became available for some reason, of course we'd be interested. But so would most other teams, because he's such a great rider."
Modest successes during first season
2010 saw Team Sky enjoy moderate successes in its first season on the ProTour, with Bradley Wiggins' prologue win in the Giro d'Italia ranking highest among them. Juan Antonio Flecha also won the Belgian race Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February.
"All you'll get me to say is that things are progressing well for us," Brailsford added. "We've identified the riders who we think will strengthen the team for 2011. We're working on signing riders that will immediately be competitive at a ProTour level in 2011 and we're also working on riders for the future."
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