Becker joins Cervélo as Nürnberger Versicherung still unresolved

by Ben Atkins at 11:22 AM EST

Former German time trial champion Charlotte Becker has joined the Cervélo TestTeam according to radsport-news.com. The 26-year-old has been a member of the Nürnberger Versicherung team since 2007 and has taken the opportunity to quit the German team amidst the continuing uncertainty over its future.

In 2009 Becker won a stage of the Thüringen Rundfahrt and a stage and the overall of the Albstadt Frauen Etapenrennen. In 2008 she won the overall Holland Ladies Tour. As well as being a powerful rouleur on the road, Becker also competes for the German national team on the track in points and scratch races, and both the team and individual pursuit.

Nürnberger Versicherung – a German insurance company – pulled out of sponsoring the team at the end of 2009, but its successor, Skyter Shipping was unable to meet its obligations due to smaller sponsors pulling out and the team is currently without a sponsor.

Team manager Herbert Oppelt is frantically trying to find a replacement sponsor to cover the team’s budget – €1.2 million in previous years – but in the meantime has managed to persuade several of the team’s star riders to ride for a reduced salary. Current German time trial champion, and World number 6, Trixi Worrack has reportedly agreed to stay on but the plans of 2008 World and Olympic champion Nicole Cooke or 2008 World time trial champion Amber Neben are currently not known.

As well as Becker’s departure, the uncertainty over the team’s future has led to the retirement of Tina Leibig, who was due to join this year from DSB Bank-Nederland Bloeit.

Until a new name sponsor is found the team will be known as the Noris Cycling Team; Noris being derived from Noricum, the old Latin name for the city of Nürnberg, where the team is based. It is also not clear how long the team can last in this form or what sort of race programme it will be able to afford.

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