Time ticking for Russian Grand Tour rider
Tour de France podium finisher Denis Menchov is still waiting for a firm offer from the Katusha team, with the Russian rider confirming that what has taken place is simply a preliminary discussion.
He met with Andrei Tchmil last Thursday in Spain, where Menchov lives, and discussed the project. He said afterwards that the meeting was an interesting one, and indicated that signing for the team was one option which he was considering. Menchov said that he was also in talks with Astana and would take a week to ten days before making a decision.
However it appears that a concrete offer has still not been made. “Of course I would be pleased to speak of Katusha, but I have not heard a specific financial proposal,” he told Sportsdaily.ru. “I met with the president of the Russian team, Andrei Tchmil, but we just met, talked and agreed to return for more talks this week. And of course, I received offers from other teams much sooner than from Katusha.”
Menchov set the start of the Vuelta as his time limit for a decision to be finalised, and time is quickly running out. In fact, if the Russian publication Sovsport.ru is correct, Katusha could have already missed out on its chance.
It claims that a deal has been done with Team Geox, the squad which already announced this week that it had secured the signature of 2008 Tour winner Carlos Sastre.
If that information is correct, the contract is due to be announced today. The new team is being built upon the structure of the existing Footon-Servetto squad, and the Italian footwear manufacturer Geox is rumoured to be putting in €10 million per year for the next five years.
Little is known thus far about the big names that will race for the squad next year, although the team release announcing the backing said that two major riders would compete for the team in 2011. Menchov would fit the bill, but so too Damiano Cunego, who has also been linked to the project.