Colombian considering offer from British team
Team Sky has been rumoured to be chasing the Colombian rider Rigoberto Uran and, according to his current Caisse d’Epargne team management, he is likely to go to the British project.
“We are talking and negotiating, but the offer of Sky is, I fear, very good,” Eusebio Unzue told El Tiempo. “It will be difficult to retain Urán, but we will continue talking.”
The 23 year old finished an excellent seventh in the Tour de Suisse in June, also placing second on two stages. He had earlier netted sixth on a stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, seventh in the Klasika Primavera and seventh in the Plan de Corones time trial in the Giro.
Riding the Italian event meant that he missed the Tour de France, but he then lined out in the Vuelta, hoping to perform strongly. He placed fifth on stage 11 and moved up to eighth overall, only to crash and lose all hope of a top placing.
“Everything was fine, but the fall messed things up,” he said. “I had the legs to be in the top five….Then, I tried to win a stage and to find my way back, but I could not.”
He ultimately placed 33rd, 53 minutes and 14 seconds behind the winner Vincenzo Nibali.
Team Sky would appear to believe he can do better in future and the British ProTour squad is making a push to get him on the team. Urán admits that it is a tempting prospect. “I have a good offer from Sky, but I have not made a decision,” he said.
The team is strongly rumoured to have signed Michael Rogers from HTC Columbia. Fabian Cancellara is reportedly also on its wish list, although the big Swiss rider has been linked to BMC Racing and Fly V Australia too.