Following on from yesterday’s news that Pegasus Sports will not be given a UCI Pro Continental licence for 2011, Svein Tuft has become the first rider to officially leave the team. The rider will go to the SpiderTech powered by C10 squad, a team which includes Canadian legend Steve Bauer as directeur sportif.
Being Canadian himself, 2008 world time trial championship silver medallist Tuft is a good fit for the Canadian squad. It is stepping up a level next year, building on its position as top North American team in the 2010 UCI America Tour by taking out a Pro Continental licence.
“I was close to joining Steve's team this summer,” said Tuft. “I knew then that I ultimately wanted to be a part of SpiderTech's program, but the timing wasn't quite right. Now that they've secured the Continental Pro licence and the opportunity to sign a new contract became an option, I knew that team SpiderTech was exactly where I wanted to be.”
The former Garmin rider picked up a stage in the 2010 Eneco Tour and is determined to use his time trial abilities to develop into a more successful rider. He is the third rider with ProTour experience to sign up, joining roster which also includes Lucas Euser and Pat McCarthy.
“We are very excited to have Svein join the team,” said the general manager Josée Larocque. “Svein's strengths as a rider complement our existing roster perfectly. We are already very competitive in one day racing and Svein adds depth to our general classification chances in multi-day tours. He is one of the world's best "time-trialists" and he aligns perfectly with our long term goals to be competitive at the World Tour level.”
Tuft’s move plus the possible departure of others such as Robbie McEwen takes strength from the Pegasus Sports setup, which plans to race at the Continental level in 2011 and then try to move up next winter. Directeur sportif Henk Vogels told VeloNation yesterday that he hoped many of the riders would stay on board; it remains to be seen if this will be the case.
As for Tuft, he will meet up with his team-mates at the official launch in early February. He’ll then go to the south of France and begin what will be a three month European spring campaign there.
Bauer believes that he will be a good fit, and that his signing shows how determined they are to make strong Pro Continental debut. “Svein joining our team is timely,” the former Olympic silver medallist said. “Our 2010 results, expanded roster and recent upgrade into division 2 status are all compelling, but Svein reconfirms to sponsors, race directors, fans and media that the team is ready for the bigger game.
“Svein is a man extremely respected by his peers and I'm expecting Svein's experience, horsepower and leadership capacities to launch team SpiderTech to new levels. We are ecstatic with this opportunity to work with him.”
Aside from Bauer, who took bronze in the Barcelona worlds in 1984 (just weeks after landing the Olympic silver medal) and Tuft, the team will also feature another worlds medallist: Guillaume Boivin in this year’s Under 23 road race in Geelong, Australia.
He welcomed Tuft’s signing, saying that it was like a hat trick for the team. “We have brought together some of the most accomplished guys in Canada's cycling history. It's very motivating.”
The team has goals of riding the Tour de France, although it could take a year or two for it to gain a place in cycling’s biggest event.