One day after Svein Tuft was confirmed as moving to the SpiderTech team, Dominque Cornu has become the second rider from the Pegasus Sports setup to find a slot with a different squad for 2011.
The Belgian rider will compete with the Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator squad, as confirmed by team-manager Christophe Sercu to Sporza. “Dominique Cornu will have with us the opportunity to further his career on the road, combining with the track cycling, with the objective in 2012 to participate in the various time trial races at the London Olympics,” he said.
The former world under 23 champion took a stage win and second overall in the Tour of Belgium this season, then later parted ways with the Skil-Shimano team. He signed with Pegasus Sports, but the Australian squad was last week denied a UCI Pro Continental licence.
Inking the deal with Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator will mean he has a less stressful Christmas than many of the others he would have been racing alongside with Pegasus, but he’ll nevertheless regret how things turned out. He and the other riders initially had expectations that the team would secure a ProTeam licence and thus be eligible for races such as the Tour de France.
Meanwhile Robbie McEwen is awaiting news on where he could compete for next season. He has been linked to a possible transfer to Team RadioShack, which needs a sprinter, but it is as yet uncertain if the move will happen.
“It is true that [general manager Johan] Bruyneel is interested in some Pegasus riders,” said team spokesman Philippe Maertens to Het Laaste Nieuws. “I don’t rule out McEwen being one of them. The question is whether there is enough budget left for another leader.”
Speaking to the same newspaper, a glum McEwen said that he would consider retirement if a satisfactory deal wasn’t found. “The new season begins in about ten days. Which team now has a place available? Or a handful of euros to pay my salary?
“I would like to continue for one year, but only when a team can compete in the important races. I have proved this season that I can still race at that level.”
“For now, I don’t want to think the worst. But maybe I should indeed stop. This is not the goodbye I’ve dreamed of.”
The Pegasus team has said that it will continue. It also hopes that many of its riders stay put for 2011, even if the race programme will be limited by the lack of a Pro Continental licence.