Three weeks after Brian Holm confirmed that both Tony Martin and Levi Leipheimer would be joining him in working with Omega Pharma Quick Step next season, the team has made it official and confirmed that the rider had been signed up on a two year deal.
The move, which Leipheimer recently sought to play down, will see him leave the RadioShack team after a long period of time racing under the guidance of Johan Bruyneel. He’ll now answer to Quick Step boss Patrick Lefevere, who welcomed him on board today.
“Levi's arrival will contribute to making our team one of the most competitive for the stage races,” he stated. “Levi is a complete athlete who can hold his own on any type of terrain. Together with [Tony] Martin, [Bert] Grabsch, [Frantisek] Rabon, Peter Velits and [Sylvain] Chavanel, they'll make up a solid block of athletes capable of great performances against the clock, but who can also hang on with the best on a hilly terrain.”
The 38 American rider won the Tour de Suisse this year, and also took the US events the tour of Utah and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Lefevere said that the team was seeking to benefit from the rider’s American background in signing him.
“Levi will also be an important contribution to the visibility of our sponsors and team in the USA,” he explained. “He's a highly experienced rider who still has a lot of ambition to race and win.”
The team had a somewhat disappointing year in 2011, due mostly to the injury problems and bad luck affecting Tom Boonen, and has made some big signings for next year. Its budget has been bolstered by the addition of Omega Pharma as a sponsor, and the team has brought several HTC Highroad riders on board.
These include Martin, who won the world time trial championships today, and will have the right to wear the rainbow bands in all races against the clock next year. That will bring publicity to the team, and so too will wins clocked up by Leipheimer.