He was fourth and tenth overall in the race, a stage winner and a multiple yellow jersey wearer; it’s little surprise that the Tour de France is a special memory for former top pro Steve Bauer. The Canadian would like to head back to the race and is making the first steps with the Team Planet Energy squad he directed in 2009.
Due to their Continental status, Bauer’s team will be unable to take part in the two new ProTour races scheduled to be held in Canada next year. However he’s working on upgrading the team to Professional Continental status by 2011 and that should enable them to chase wildcard slots.
The big dream, though, is to bring the first team from his country to the world’s biggest bike race. “I think we can get a Canadian team in the Tour de France,” he told Radio Canada. “I built the team so that one day this dream would materialise. There are riders in the team that can aspire to that.”
According to DirectVelo.fr, the lineup for the 2010 squad is yet to be finalised but Tour of Missouri stage winner Martin Gilbert, Kevin Lacombe and Francois Parisien – who previously raced with Slipstream – are expected to remain.
The project is likely to take several years, but the goal of moving to Pro Continental status is certainly a step in the right direction.