Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland on his custom painted Trek Speed Concept, Giro Selector helmet, Assos kit, and Bontrager Aeolus front wheel(Image credit: Robin Wilmott)
Men's junior world time trial champion Bob Jungels (Luxembourg)(Image credit: www.offida2010.it)
Podium for U23 men's European time trial championship (l-r): Bob Jungels (Luxembourg), Yoann Paillot (France) and Stake Laengen Vegard (Norway).(Image credit: SCA Offida)
Fabian Cancellara and talented young Luxembourg rider Bob Jungels will be teammates at RadioShack-Nissan in 2013. Cancellara is said to have wanted to leave the team, but must stay, while Jungels is looking forward to making his professional debut in the Luxembourg-registered team.
Cancellara, 31, wanted to leave the team this year after Fränk Schleck's Tour de France doping positive and the USADA case against team manager Johan Bruyneel, according to Blick.ch. However he has a contract for 2013, and his attorneys were unable to find a way to break it.
Blick reported that Cancellara considered buying his way out of the contract but the cost would have been a year's salary, estimated by the Swiss newspaper to be 1.65 million Euro,
Bruyneel was happy with the news that his classics leader was staying with the team. "Fabian fulfills his contract and we will accommodate him,” he told Blick. This is expect ed to mean the Swiss rider will work more with Italian directeur sportif Luca Guercilena.
Cancellara has had a difficult 2012 season, mainly due to a badly fracture collarbone he suffered at the Tour of Flanders. After again crashing in the Olympic road race and finishing only seventh in the Olympic time trial, he decided to end is season early. He is not competiting at the World championships, to the dissatisfaction of the Swiss Cycling Federation.
Jungels adds new Luxembourg talent to team
RadioShack-Nissan is working to rebuild its roster after a difficult season. The team has added another Luxembourg talent to its ranks by signing Jungels, who is riding the Under 23 World championship road race today on his 20th birthday. He has signed with the team for two years. He was with the related Leopard-Trek Continental Team his year.
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"This is amazing," Jungels said in a team press release. "I've been on the bike for more than thirteen years now, since I was six. It has always been my goal to turn professional. I've reached this goal now. After this good season this is a big bonus.I am really happy and proud to be part of this team. I can only learn from the experience of the Team. This is a big step forward in my career."
Jungels started out in cyclo-cross, but since 2011 has concentrated on road racing. He won the 2010 World junior time trial title and was second in the 2011 European Under 23 road race. This year he won the Paris-Roubaix U23, the Luxembourg national time trial title, and the overall classification at the Fleche du Sud and Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux.
"As we are a Luxembourgish team, it is obvious that we keep a close eye on the talent from there," Bruyneel said. "Moreover Bob Jungels is more than the biggest Luxembourgish talent since Andy Schleck - Jungels is one of the best Under 23 riders in the world.”
Bruyneel also said that the team will carefully bring the youngster along, “taking care not to burn him out. Bob is still young. He still has a long career ahead of him."
Jungels confirmed that he will take things slowly. "I will not race the Tour de France in 2013, but I would like a taste of some WorldTour and HC races like the the Eneco Tour and the Tours of Poland and Luxembourg as well as a semi classic early in the season. We'll see. The main goal in my first year will be to get some experience and to help the team."
Other new signings for the team for 2013 are Stijn Devolder , now with Vacansoleil-DCM, and Robert Kiserlovski from Astana. Leaving the team are: Daniele Bennati (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), Robert Wagner (Rabobank) and Oliver Zaugg (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank).
