Bike World News

Oh, why didn’t I ride yesterday??

In today’s bicycle racing news, a Dutch face for the Giro, Footon-Servetto and Caisse d’Epargne transfers, AToC looks to be a Tour de France warmup, Ricco returns and more…

• Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen (left), a young Dutch actress and presenter, will be the new face of the Tour of Italy 2010. She represents the race’s venture into the Netherlands and will help with the route presentation this weekend.
• 19 year old Australian Matthias Brandle has signed a three year contract with Footon-Servetto. He comes to the team from Elk Haus, which is having sponsor issues.
• Juan José Cobo will leave Footon-Servetto for Caisse d’Epargne. He will be joined by Marzio Bruseghin, Christophe Moreau and former King of the Mountains winner Juan Manuel Soler at the team.
• Jakob Fuglsang has extended with Saxo Bank for another three years.
• Saxo Bank was a little surprised to find themselves on the list issued by the UCI yesterday that showed that their Pro Tour license was still pending. They have contacted the UCI and have now received written confirmation that all documents are in order for the requirements concerning the 2010 UCI license.
• Amgen Tour of California organizers are confident that they they will continue to be able to attract a world class field, despite happening at the same time as the Giro. With better weather and the ability to access more climbs, they are now positioning themselves as an ideal tune-up for the Tour de France.
• Pedro Horillo continues to recover after his horrendous fall at the Giro. He was on hand in Maastricht to be part of the 2010 team photo for Rabobank. He says he is not sure if he will ever compete again, and just wants to focus on his rehabilitation.
• The Court of Arbitration for Sport has approved the 20 month suspension of Ricardo Ricco, making him available to compete as early as March of 2010. Convicted of using CERA in the 2008 Tour de France, he had received a reduced suspension for cooperating with authorities. The UCI appealed to CAS to have him serve the full two years. Shortly on the heels of the CAS annoucement, the Ceramica-Flaminia team announced that Ricco had signed a contract to ride for the team in 2010, and that he is expected to ride in the Giro.
• Ivan Basso and other members of the Liquigas team will complete their season at the Japan Cup. Basso used the race as part of his comeback last year and wants to return to thank those that welcomed him back so warmly last year.

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