Russian rider Vladimir Karpets has extended his contract with Katusha for another year, the team announced today. The lanky rider from St Petersburg has been with the Russian team since its inception in 2009 and is one of its highest profile compatriot riders. He will now be staying with the team through 2011.
29-year-old Karpets has had a mixed season, finishing fourth in the Tour de Romandie and 14th in the Giro d’Italia, where he was one of the most aggressive riders. He had no luck in the Tour de France though, where he was forced to abandon after crashing early in the race. Last week he was a member of the Katusha team that won the team time trial at the Vuelta a Burgos.
2009, his first with Katusha, was a better year for Karpets, where he finished second in Romandie, fifth in the Tour de Suisse and 12th in the Tour de France. His best year by far though was 2007, when he was riding for Caisse d’Epargne; he won the Volta a Catalunya and the Tour de Suisse, then finished 14th in the Tour and seventh in the Vuelta a España.
As a Russian rider on the team that proclaims itself the “Russian Cycling Project”, the presence of Karpets is important. The team has recently announced the signing of three young riders from its development team, Itera-Katusha, and is pursuing the signature of Tour de France third place Denis Menchov.