Close bond between riders causes others to leave
German rider Dominic Klemme has echoed Jens Voigt’s sentiments about why he moved to the new Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project, saying that the change is linked to the fact that so many other riders from Saxo Bank are leaving.
Frank and Andy Schleck and Voigt have already been confirmed, while Jakob Fuglsang, Stuart O’Grady and now Fabian Cancellara are also expected to move from the Danish ProTour team to the Luxembourg setup.
For Klemme, those changes mean that the Saxo Bank setup simply wouldn’t be the same as before. “Riis taught me many things,” he said, according to VeloChrono.fr. “I think the main reason that pushed me to leave Saxo Bank is that most guys who I got along with are gone. I wanted to continue with those who have become good friends to me, more than team-mates.”
Voigt expressed similar feelings this week, saying that he also felt a loyalty to the Luxembourg brothers. “When it became obvious that [the Schlecks] were going to leave the team, they asked me where I wanted to go. I thought, I want to race with them. We were so close to winning the Tour with Andy, and I would get another chance to win the race with Andy and Frank,” he told TV2.
“I prefer working with the Schleck brothers, because they are good friends, and I would not have to work for Contador.”
The theme of a common bond is repeated by Cancellara, who was reported today as also making the switch across. While his move hasn’t been officially announced, he made it clear some time ago that he would leave Team Saxo Bank.
He was linked to several squads, including the BMC Racing Team, Team Sky, Pegasus Racing and the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project. Last week he stressed the importance of being surrounded by people he knows and is comfortable with; again, this ties in with the bond that Klemme and Voigt express.
For years, one of the most important elements of Team Saxo Bank was the team-work and the spirit of unity amongst the riders. This was cultivated during the season, and also in the winter months when the entire squad would embark on the now-legendary survival camps. They would join together in adverse conditions, battling the elements, hunting for food and joining forces in completing set tasks.
Ironically, that same close bond appears to be the reason why so many are following the Schlecks away from the Danish team. Team Saxo Bank’s strength appears to have become its weakness, although Riis is determined to bounce back.