Following the recent signature of Thor Hushovd to the Garmin Transitions team for 2011, the expected-signatures of several other key Cervélo Test Team riders have been confirmed by the US ProTour team.
The sextet is headed by Heinrich Haussler, who won a stage in the 2009 Tour de France and has second place finishes in Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Flanders to his credit. He has been affected by a knee injury for much of this season but has nevertheless amassed results such as a stage win in the Tour de Suisse, second in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and third in the GP de Kantons Aargau. The 26 year old recently declared for Australia and is due to return to racing in this month’s Tour of Britain.
He will be joined by five team-mates: compatriot Brett Lancaster, the Britons Roger Hammond and Dan Lloyd, German rider Andreas Klier and the Norwegian Gabriel Rasch. These will combine forces with a number of other strong Garmin-Transitions riders, including the sprinter and Classic rider Tyler Farrar, time trial specialist Dave Zabriskie and the stage race contenders Ryder Hesjedal, Christian Vande Velde and Dan Martin.
As expected, Jonathan Vaughters is upbeat about what the signings will do for the team. “Team Garmin-Cervélo’s roster will be strong and versatile,” said the Slipstream Sports CEO. “All of these riders bring a lot of experience to what’s already a great team. I’m proud of what we’ve done since 2008, and I’m excited for what we’ll do in 2011.”
The new-look team will be called Garmin-Cervélo in 2011, with existing co-sponsor Transitions taking a smaller role as the official eyewear supplier. Vaughters stresses that recent developments don’t represent a merger with the Cervélo Test Team, as was initially suggested by the media, but rather a co-sponsorship plus a move of several of its riders.
It came about after the Cervélo Test Team decided not to continue in cycling, citing the growing costs involved as the main reason.
The Garmin-Cervélo squad will also include a women’s team in 2011, with much of the current Cervélo TT structure expected to remain in place.
Today’s news adds a considerable Classics dimension to the team, making it a more powerful all-round package and one which Vaughters will hope will ramp up the number of wins achieved by Argyle riders.He has cited financial stability as a major plus for the team, pointing out that Garmin is on board until the end of 2013 and that Cervelo has committed for at least that long.