Bjarne Riis made an "absolute masterstroke" signing Tour de France winner Alberto Contador this week, according to Johan Bruyneel.
"His sponsor stopped, his two leaders Andy and Fränk Schleck left and took Riis' other riders," said Bruyneel in a De Telegraaf diary. "Riis produced a high-calibre solution with the signing of three-time Tour winner Alberto Contador, the best cyclist at the moment."
Bruyneel knows what he is talking about. He won 13 Grand Tours as a team manager and sports director, four with 27-year-old Spaniard, Alberto Contador. He brought him to Discovery Channel in 2007 as a helper for Italy's Ivan Basso. However, that year Contador went on to win his first Tour de France.
Contador won it again, for a second time, last year with Lance Armstrong in the team. Even with Bruyneel gone, Contador won a third time last month.
Three days later, he announced he would leave Astana when his contract expired at the end of the year.
"Contador had three possibilities," said Bruyneel, "going to an existing team, as with Riis' team; creating a new team with Formula 1 pilot Fernando Alonso; or continuing with Astana, probably the easiest option."
Tuesday, one week after Contador announced he would leave Astana, Riis had his turn. He announced Saxo Bank would continue as the title sponsor and that Contador would join for the next two years.
"Contador chose the structure and the knowledge of a team. Bjarne Riis has nothing to prove."
Riis ran the team since it was known as Home-Jack & Jones in 1999. In 2008, he won the Tour de France with Carlos Sastre. This year, he finished second with Andy Schleck, but won four stages and held the yellow jersey for 12 days (with Schleck and Fabian Cancellara).
"Contador made a good choice," added Bruyneel. "Riis can make him an even better cyclist and build a team around him."
Bruyneel is building his team for next year with new signings. He said that he also expects more from Critérium du Dauphiné winner, Janez Brajkovic and American Taylor Phinney.
Andy and brother Fränk Schleck are bound for the new team based in their home country of Luxembourg.