Having competed alongside the Schleck brothers in 2008 when he was a stagiaire with Team CSC, and again in 2010 as a full pro with the Saxo Bank-SunGard team, Luxembourg rider Laurent Didier will rejoin his compatriots next year.
The 27 year old climber has signed a one year deal with the Schleck’s Leopard Trek team, which will be renamed RadioShack Nissan Trek in 2012.
“I’m very glad to be riding in the same team as the brothers again,” he said. “We train a lot together when we have similar race programs and we've gotten to know each other very well. I’m proud to be part of this team. As a Luxembourger, it’s an honor to be riding alongside Fränk and Andy.”
Although he’s being signed up primarily as a domestique, the qualified construction engineer has shown in the past that he is capable of clocking up his own solid results. He was the national under 23 champion and won a stage of the Fleche du Sud in 2005, and since then has taken some good placings. He finished to Andy Schleck and Kim Kirchen respectively in the 2009 Luxembourg road race and time trial championships, and this year picked up bronze medals in both disciplines.
Team Manager Kim Andersen has worked closely with him in the past and believes that he will be a strong addition to the team. “Laurent is a clever guy who can read a race very well. He’s very professional and will be a strong support when chaperoning his leaders through the peloton,” he said. “He climbs okay too, so he’s really a valuable card to play. We’re very happy to welcome him aboard.”
The lineup of the team still remains to be confirmed, despite assurances from incoming general manager Johan Bruyneel that it would be finalised and released by yesterday. There are indications of some dissatisfaction with the addition of Bruyneel and some other aspects of the changes for next year, which are coming about after the RadioShack team said it would transfer sponsors and some staff and riders to the Leopard Trek setup.
Jakob Fuglsang has expressed concerns in recent days, saying he didn’t welcome how things had been done of late and how the rides weren’t informed of the changes. He has suggested that he might move to another team. It is not known how Andy and Frank Schleck feel about the developments and the dismissal of Brian Nygaard, the Leopard Trek general manager who brought them on board from Saxo Bank.
Given their silence of late, it is possible that they too are lukewarm about the things that have been taking place.