Jose Rujano will be making his return to the European cycling scene after signing a contract with the Italian-Ukrainian Pro-continental team ISD-Neri. The Venezuelan climbing sensation garnered interest from several Pro-Tour teams including Caisse d’Epargne, Quick Step, Garmin and Astana after his overall wins in the Tours of Venezuela and Colombia, and his strong performance at the World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
The 27 year-old eventually chose for ISD, the team of current Europe Tour leader Giovanni Visconti, with whom he hopes to improve on third place at the 2005 Giro d’Italia. Rujano won a total of 12 races this year with the South-American based Gobernacion del Zulia continental team.