bdcheung

https://www.velonews.com/article/8274...o-join-katusha

The Russians are certainly stacking that team...

Edit: VeloNews changed the story. I hate it when people erase previous content instead of striking through. Makes me look bad.

BananaTugger

Tinkoff/Katusha are going to kick some EPIC amounts of ass next season.

djbowen1

WTF are you spewing

"I have not signed with Tinkoff (Katusha). I vehemently deny it," Sastre said after Wednesday's stage. "When I make a decision about my future everyone will know it with an official statement."

bdcheung

They changed the story

djbowen1

sure, sure. I would put my money on the new Cervelo team for sure. He has probably known Gerard and Phil a long time and will be their GC rider for 2009.

Bullseye

https://www.velonews.com/article/82746/source-says-sastre-to-join-katusha

They didn't seem to have enough good sense to change the name of the article.

-bullseye

bdcheung

https://www.velonews.com/article/8274...ans-subject-of

They did, but somehow my original link is still active.

banduhbiker

First thing I've heard of that. Seems incredibly unlikely.

patentcad

Despite compelling offers from teams globally, Pcad will be riding for Global Locate in 2009. If I can come up with the scratch to sponsor them again that is.

Racer Ex 

Duke of Kent

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, either.

I think your response is appropriate.

CrimsonKarter21

Hell, I signed with Katusha.

Namenda

good call, as it turns out...

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?...p08/sep05news2

Lithuania

Sastre signs with Cervélo Test Team
2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre is changing teams next year
Photo ©: AFP
After weeks of rumours and speculation, Team CSC-Saxo Bank's Carlos Sastre has finally announced that he is leaving the Danish squad and joining new outfit Cervélo Test Team as of next season. The 2008 Tour de France winner made the news official on his personal website, www.carlossastre.com, on Thursday. He will be holding a press conference on the Vuelta a España rest day on Friday.

Sastre, who had been linked to Oleg Tinkov's new Katusha team, finally opted to sign with the Canadian bike manufacturer because "it is a new project which fits very well with my way of being. It offers the opportunity to open frontiers and collaborate more actively with our sponsors and their clients. At the same time, we can contribute more efficiently to improving the technology of our materials."

The Cervélo Test Team, whose name may change before the 2009 season as the company is seeking another title sponsor, will serve as a proving ground for product development of five bike industry leaders, namely Cervélo, Zipp, Speedplay, Vittoria and 3T, as well as providing race results under a Professional Continental license.

"Race performance is only one component of Cervélo TestTeam," said Cervélo co-founder Gerard Vroomen. "Our riders will also be involved in field-testing and providing technical feedback. In addition they will participate in activities with our customers, making them more accessible to cycling fans."

Sastre thanked his former Team CSC-Saxo Bank and its manager Bjarne Riis for "seven unforgettable years", while at the same time explaining that he wanted to "look ahead into the future to find those motivations which will help me continue enjoying the bike. This is the main reason why I chose the Cervélo Test Team project. With it, a new and exciting road opens up to me that gives me new objectives for the remainder of my career."

Sastre is expected to reveal more about his choice in a press conference in Lleida, Spain, on Friday evening.

daytonian

the crow to be handed out shortly

djbowen1

While i do not understand what you find amusing, it was pretty obvious where he was going.

ColorChange

Racer Ex and Duke ... how does your crow taste?

https://www.velonews.com/article/8279...tre-to-cervelo

Now what's interesting is how does the TDF winner go to a non top tier team? This is strange??? Or will Cervelo Test Team go all out? They originally said they would be a "second tier" team. Maybe not!

sagginwagin

There are lots of Gerolsteiner riders looking for employment as are the Saunier Duval/American Beef guys although their reps are somewhat tainted by Ricco and Piepoli's recent admissions. Wasn't there another team that lost their sponsor and folded? Credit Agricole?

BananaTugger

Barloworld and Credit Agricole both have riders looking for a new placed to stay.

Racer Ex 

Not bad at all.

I'm hitting Vegas for Interbike in a couple of weeks and Sastre won't be my '09 TDF bet.

Makes no sense for a TDF winner to go to a Conti Pro team that may not even get an invite to the Tour, leaving the best team in the world that made it possible for you to win the race in the first place. Given that Cervelo left CSC because they couldn't afford the deal, who knows what was going on. Sastre said money wasn't a factor.

Ya got me. But I knew there was a rip in the fabric of the universe when a French rider took the gold at the Vuelta.

So, given that, here's my '09 predictions:

Cunego, now a french citizen, wins all three grand tours on a 28 lb Wal Mart MTB for Rock Racing.

Michael Ball defers all questions and publicity to Cunego, retiring to his Prius whenever the media scrum becomes too heavy.

To celebrate their victory, Wal Mart begins selling SRM Pro models for $59.99. BF'ers try to do a group buy, complaining that the price is ridiculous.

Lance Armstrong announces that he was blood doping during his TDF run.

While Sastre doesn't win the TDF, he does win both Paris-Roubaix and Flanders. During the post race interviews each of his answers run 15 minutes or more.

Joseba Beloki makes his triumphant comeback at Milan-San Remo, destroying Pettachi and Cavendish in the final sprint.

Cavendish extracts his revenge by winning on the Ventoux during the Daphene.

CSC does not win a single race the entire year after the Schleck Bros quit the team and join the WWF.

bdcheung

Thank God. They've been needing a new mascot...

bikeride

Next year's Saxo Bank (aka Team CSC) would have had three gc riders. Sastre and the Schleck brothers. Sastre saw the writing on the wall and did the right thing.

The_Convert

I'm beginning to think you actually believe that.

CrimsonKarter21

F'Man, everyone else has, so why the hell not me? And Oleg told me he signed some untapped climbing talent from Michigan too. We're both racing in the Tour De World as team captains for seperate divisions of Katusha.