Following weeks of rumours, triple Tour of Denmark winner Jakob Fuglsang has now officially confirmed that he is leaving the Saxo Bank team, although he remains tight-lipped about the identity of who he will race for in 2011.
“One of the reasons is of course that I want to try something new,” he told TV2 Sport, thus admitting that he’s jumping ship. “And then of course it was also an influence that there was such a long period before Bjarne could present a sponsor. I would have liked to have been in control of that before the Tour began.”
Fuglsang was probably the most vocal of the riders this spring in pushing the need for Riis to finalise his plans and thus give his riders some security that they would have a team next year. He made it clear that he wanted something to be confirmed before the Tour, but uncertainty remained after the Grand Depart in Rotterdam. Riis finally did guarantee that the team would continue, yet revealed just one of two sponsors during the race.
By that time, Fuglsang had offers from elsewhere and things continued to evolve. He has been linked through the grapevine to the new Luxembourg team that is being set up by former CSC/Saxo Bank core members Brian Nygaard and Kim Andersen, and which is supposed to be led by the Schleck brothers. However the sponsors for the squad have not yet been confirmed, and neither of the Schlecks have said that they are certain to be involved with the project.
Fuglsang won’t confirm that he’ll be racing for that as-yet unnamed squad in 2011. “I cannot say anything other than it [his future] does not lie with Saxo Bank and Bjarne Riis,” he said, explaining that money isn’t the issue. “I've also got a good offer from Bjarne, so it's not because there is more money from the other in relation to what Bjarne can offer.”
The 25 year old was quoted earlier today as complaining that his racing schedule is very light for the rest of this season. It’s not sure if Riis is likely to hand prime racing opportunities to those who he sees as being loyal, but he may be more inclined to try to chase success with those who will remain part of his team in the future. One exception is the Schleck brothers, who will both lead Saxo Bank in the Vuelta a España. It will be their final Grand Tour for the team.
The contract that wasn’t a contract:
Bizarrely, of all the riders on Saxo Bank, it appeared at one point that Fuglsang was the one whose future was most closely-liked with Riis. Last October a statement was released saying that the rider had signed up for three more seasons, and would therefore stay with the squad until 2012 at the earliest.
"I am enormously grateful for the perspective that the extension with Team Saxo Bank offers my career,” he said at the time. “Now I know that I'll get the best development opportunities for the next three years on a team I truly care for.”
“Jakob is without a doubt one of the biggest talents in cycling and this season he has underlined his huge potential,” Riis enthused.
“Without overestimating, I would not be surprised if he is seen in the forefront of the Tour de France within a few years. To extend his contract with another three years is a huge win for the team and I am sure he will take another major step up the rankings next year. Jakob is well on his way to becoming a complete rider.”
It has never been entirely clear what happened to change that. However, in March it became apparent that while the statement had been sent out and mutually-back-slapping quotes had been released, the actually nitty-gritty of putting pen to paper had not been done.
“I have a contract with Jacob, but it is true that he has not signed it yet,” said Riis to Ekstra Bladet at the time. “But I don’t see what the big problem is. Generally, it’s my belief that all riders on the team want to stay where they are. That's what I'm working from.”
Fuglsang said that the lack of a main sponsor after the end of the current season was the reason why things had changed.
“We were never fully in agreement and the press release announcing the contract was released too early due to a misunderstanding,” said Fuglsang. “Now we’ve completely set contract talks on hold.”
“I want to stay with Riis. But with the uncertainty that has arisen on the team's future, it is best to wait before I sign something.”
He also stated that he felt that he was worth more than he was being offered, and was confident that his salary would be highter elsewhere.
Five months later, he is indeed heading to another squad. Time is ticking and it seems certain that if the Luxembourg team exists, and if its future is assured, that an announcement will be made soon.
At that point it will become clear if Fuglsang, the Schleck brothers, Jens Voigt, Stuart O’Grady and others will be competing with that particular team in 2011, or if they will scatter like leaves in the wind.
Underlining Danish roots:
Former Danish champion Matti Breschel is also departing, and today it became clear that he’s exchanging the monochromatic hues of the Saxo Bank jersey for the bright orange colours of Rabobank. He and Fuglsang are regarded as two of the brightest young talents from the country. Riis knows he has to ensure that the identity of Saxo Bank as a Danish team needs to be preserved.
“We have some others,” he told TV 2 Sport, when a response was sought to their pending departures. “And it is clear that I look at Danish talent. In the ten years that I have had a team, there have always been a Danish element, and so it will remain.”
Those two riders aside, there are nine other Danes on this year’s team. They are Chris Anker Sorensen, Jonas Aaen Jorgensen, Frank Hoj, Kasper Klostergaard Larsen, Anders Lund, Michael Morkov, Alex Rasmussen, Nicki Sorensen and André Steensen.
Riis will look for additions to that core, and was recently linked to the possible re-signing of former Tour de France King of the Mountains Michael Rasmussen.
He appeared to indicate some interest, but then created confusion when he seemed to backtrack on statements that the climber could ride for new team captain Alberto Contador.
The context was the notion of signing Rasmussen earlier than 2011, thus enabling him to race in the Vuelta a España. “It doesn’t mean he should be on my cycling team,” Riis told Ekstra Bladet. “I have just said that it was something I would look at and there was probably nothing odious about it. That does not mean that he should ride the Vuelta a España and everything for us, or that he absolutely must ride for us.”
He also pointed out that he has not spoken to Rasmussen, or his agent.
What is certain, though, is that the confirmed departure of Fuglsand and Breschel will mean that he is now pouring over the list of available Danish riders, working out who would fit in best and bring strong results.