Dutch sprinter Theo Bos was as surprised as everyone else when he heard the news that the Cervélo TestTeam was to close at the end of the season. After much speculation in the media, the team finally made the official announcement yesterday; this was the first time that the riders were given any news.
“It’s pretty intense, yeah,” the Dutchman told depers.nl. “Bam! Suddenly everyone’s out in the street. Riders, staff; two days before the Vuelta… Then see if you can find another team for next year.”
Many of the riders will have been expecting to stay with the Cervélo TestTeam in 2011 and so will not have been negotiating with others. With many teams already settled on their rosters for next year, a number of riders face an uncertain time looking for somewhere to go.
“The atmosphere in the team is a bit low,” he explained. “For me personally it’s not a problem; my future as a cyclist is not in danger.”
Bos has only been racing on the road since the beginning of 2009, having switched over from a highly successful career on the track. “The Boss” was a five-time World champion in the sprint, the kilometre and the Keirin, and a World record holder for the 200m while still in his early 20’s; this success, plus his boyish good looks, made him a big star in his native Netherlands.
Although at the age of 27 he is still developing as a road rider and has yet to fully apply his devastating track speed to the tarmac, Bos has a number of options according to his manager Orlando van den Bosch.
“Theo does not need to worry,” van den Bosch told Nusport. “He’s having a great season; there’s a lot of appreciation for what he has done since leaving the track.
“I’ve had a lot of teams on the phone recently that have enquired about Theo,” he continued, “They got me again today when the news came out about the team, and also some new teams. As an agent I can sometimes say that I’ve had less cards in my hand to play poker; but once again, lets hear what’s really going on.”
A possible destination for Bos would be the new Luxembourg team being built around Andy and Fränk Schleck. While the team has listed a number of riders signed for next year, it still has to sign more before it reaches ProTour requirements. The list of riders named does not include a top-level sprinter, with German Robert Wagner the only fast finisher so far.
With many of the Cervélo TestTeam likely to go knocking at the Schlecks’ door, Bos may be one that finds it opening for him.