American finds new team after SpiderTech C10 dissolution
One month after the SpiderTech C10 team unravelled, American road race champion Timmy Duggan has secured a new place for the 2013 season, and will join the Saxo Bank Tinkoff Bank team for one year.
The former Liquigas-Cannondale rider had arguably his best season in 2012, showing superb form in races such as the Tour of California and then taking an impressive solo win in the US championships in May.
He was supposed to move to Steve Bauer’s Spidertech C10 setup but that deal fell apart when the team revealed it didn’t have the financial resources in place for 2013. Duggan now moves to Bjarne Riis’ team, as does SpiderTech as a sponsor.
“I am thrilled to join Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank,” said Duggan today. “After my previous team turned out the lights, I was left scrambling for a job, but luckily Bjarne saw a good opportunity in me and felt that I would be a good fit for the team. So I am thrilled to make a late signing into a fantastic situation.”
The Danish team has also announced the signing of two other riders; The Russian Evgeny Petrov has inked a two year contract, the 2010 Giro d’Italia stage winner moving from Astana. The Japanese rider Takashi Miyazawa is staying on board and has penned a new one year deal with the Saxo Bank SunGard team.
Riis sees all three as being valuable additions. “We are getting close to finalizing our 2013 roster, and with the confirmation of these three riders, we are adding solid depth in different areas of the team. Duggan is a climbing allrounder, Petrov a strong allrounder and Takashi a great helper when setting up a sprint for his team mates.
“I believe these guys will bring great value to our roster, and I look forward to them joining our team for next year.”
Duggan turned 30 today and is in his prime years. His work for the Liquigas Cannondale team this season was impressive, with the American dragging the peloton along for many kilometres in races such as the Tour of California. He said that he is looking forward to a fresh start with a new team.
“Throughout my career I’ve admired Bjarne’s world-class focus on the team aspect of cycling and I always wanted to be a part of that,” he said. “For me there are already many friends and familiar faces on the team, so combined with the focus on team building I know it will be a comfortable and effective environment.”
Petrov’s signing appears to be possibly linked to Tinkoff Bank being on board as a co-sponsor. “For me it is a fantastic opportunity to ride for such a strong team as Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, and personally I also take pride in riding for a team co-sponsored by a Russian company,” he said. “So I’m really looking forward to the challenge and to meet my new team mates. I believe we have a very strong team in many kind of races, and I will do my best to contribute to the team’s success.”
Miyazawa gave a thumbs up to his first season with the squad, saying he found it very professional. “To be able to continue on this team, and to be able to continue to represent Japanese cycling on the highest level is something that makes me very proud.”
Duggan and the other Saxo Bank Tinkoff Bank riders are currently at the first team training camp in Gran Canaria. It began on Monday and yesterday the riders had their first day of activities. These included scuba diving, free diving contests, jet skiing, banana boating, kayaking and beach volley.
In the days ahead team-building exercises will continue, helping the riders build bonds through the activities. Next week the emphasis will shift to training and also work with sponsors.