Trio of riders sign up for another two seasons
Janez Brajkovic, Andreas Klöden and Chris Horner are all set to remain another two years with the Team RadioShack squad, staying put with the team they joined in 2010. The confirmation comes from general manager Johan Bruyneel, who spoke about the issue to BiciCiclismo. He said that the riders had renewed during the Tour de France, and that rumours Klöden could go to Quick Step were unfounded.
Although all three riders crashed out of the Tour de France, they have taken big results for the team. Brajkovic, who is the youngest at 27 years of age, won the Criterium du Dauphine in 2010, beating Alberto Contador. He had hoped to perform strongly in the Tour but crashed out with a broken collarbone. However his past results and his age makes him a likely future leader of the squad.
Horner won the Tour of California this year, while Klöden was victorious in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. He also took a stage there, was second overall and took a stage in Paris-Nice, and grabbed further stage wins in the Criterium International and Giro del Trentino.
The duo are two of the oldest riders in the peloton, being 39 and 36 respectively. Bruyneel clearly feels they will keep performing, though, and has kept them on board. Each had hoped to ride strongly in the Tour, but Horner suffered a broken nose and concussion in a fall, while Klöden injured his back in other crashes.
The extension news makes no mention of Levi Leipheimer, who has been racing under Bruyneel for several seasons. Relations are now understood to be tense between himself and Lance Armstrong, who has close ties to Bruyneel.