The uncertainty continues over the 2011 destination of World time trial champion and classics specialist Fabian Cancellara. His former teammate Kurt Asle Arvesen has confirmed to procycling.no that Team Sky has been courting the Swiss star, only to find its advances spurned.
The two riders race together on the Saxo Bank (formerly CSC) team between 2006 and 2009, but even this long association was not enough to pull Cancellara over to the British team.
“I've even talked to Fabian about a possible transition here,” said Arvesen to procycling.no. “I understood early on from him that he was not very interested in coming here.”
There is one team that Arvesen expects Cancellara to opt for in the end, and he knows the big reason for this.
“I think Fabian is most interested in running for the team from Luxembourg,” he said. “All of his best riding buddies will be there next season.”
Meanwhile though, Sky has been very active in the transfer market, signing three-time World time trial champion Michael Rogers, to name but one.
“We should be good enough to fight amongst the eight best teams in the ProTour, but then of course we need more points,” he said. “I think for example, Michael Rogers is an exciting rider for us. He has had an incredible career, and he is a rider who can go to the top in such as Paris-Nice and other week-long stage races. It will give us important ProTour points.”
As well as the more established riders Sky has added to its British strength by signing exciting young rider Alex Dowsett, who has spent 2010 with Trek-Livestrong.
“Alex is a rising star,” said Arvesen. “Moreover, he is a young Briton, and so it’s obvious that he's interesting for us.”
Another, more experience Briton has also joined the team for 2011, and his role is seemingly already mapped out for him. The team has also signed a Colombian and a Spanish rider from Caisse d’Epargne.
“Jeremy Hunt is going to go straight into the squad for the classics,” he said. “He is a well-liked rider, and he has an experience that is very valuable to us. Rigoberto Uran is still only 23 years old, and has not yet reached his full potential. Xavier Zandio will also be a very exciting rider, although I'm not so familiar with him personally,”
What will everyone be talking about this season though, asks procycling.no, the riders that Team Sky signed or the one that got away?