Bike World News

Big news from Silence (Omega Pharma) – Lotto today:

World champion Cadel Evans has decided to invoke the mutual agreement clause in his contract which will provide him the possibility to ride for another team next season. After five successful years, including two podium places in the Tour de France and the recent victory in Mendrisio, Cadel has decided to take advantage of his increased market value and to look for new challenges.

Silence-Lotto is proud of the progress Cadel made in our team – from a rough time to the absolute world top in five years timeand wishes him all the best for his further career. Success in your beautiful rainbow jersey!

Omega Pharma and Lotto have the aim to bring talent to full maturity in a consistent and honest way. It is part of the game, that once the summit is reached, the cyclists sometimes decide to explore other horizons.

Though this is never pleasant for our team, it demonstrates the success of our project, and it opens perspectives for the many talented cyclists who are bursting with impatience, ready to discover their limits and to take over the torch.

Omega Pharma-Lotto, with the support of all the sponsors, will look for strengthening the team for the 2010 season – and certainly for 2011 – in line with the sportive and ethical ambitions of the team!

Marc Sergeant, sportive manager: “After an incredible end of the season, with victories of Cadel Evans and Philippe Gilbert, our team ends sixth in the 2009 Pro Tour ranking.

We thank Cadel for his unique contribution to this achievement, and we are confident that, with the existing and emerging talents, Omega Pharma-Lotto will continue to experience many sportive peaks in the future. Congratulations and good luck to Cadel. We hope we can coach even more cyclists to reach their top level, to the benefit of the cyclists concerned, the team as well as the beautiful sport discipline that cycling is.”

I can’t honestly say that I’m surprised to see him leave. The team has never really given him the support that he needs and Sargeant has to be one of the worst motivators in the world of team management.

The question now is where he will go? It seems that Garmin Slipstream, Caisse d’Epargne and Quick Step are all looking and willing to pay for a top notch rider. If a certain Spaniard doesn’t leave his current team, will they look “Down Under”?

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