Caisse d'Epargne signs Langkawi winner

Spanish ProTour squad Caisse d'Epargne will add some French flavour to the squad in 2008, following the announcement it has signed Anthony Charteau and Fabien Patanchon. The duo will leave their current French ProTour squads to join the Spanish outfit for 2008.

The 27 year-old Charteau heads to the team from Roger Legeay's Crédit Agricole. Charteau climbed his way to victory in February's Tour de Langkawi, capitalizing on his Stage 3 victory in the 2.HC event to hold the general classification lead through to the final stage in Kuala Lumpur. Charteau, who turned professional in 2001 with Bonjour, finished on the podium in April's Paris-Camembert, where he took second place, and at August's Tour du Limousin, where he finished third.

Patanchon joins the squad from Française des Jeux, where he has spent his whole professional career to date. The 24 year-old joined the French team in 2005 as a stagiaire and has spent the past two seasons with the outfit.