Frenchman departs as Bbox Bouygues Telecom's future remains unclear
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Pierrick Fedrigo (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) claims the stage win in Pau.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Fédrigo on the attack(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Pierrick Fedrigo (Bouygues Telecom) overjoyed in Pau.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Pierrick Fédrigo has signed for the Francaise des Jeux team for the 2011 season. His current Bbox Bouygues Telecom team is still without a confirmed sponsorship deal for next season despite a series of assurances from team boss Jean-Rene Bernadeau
“He’s a key rider for any team,” FDJ manager Marc Madiot told L’Équipe. “He knows how to win races and he’s at his ease, even on difficult terrain.”
In July, Fédrigo won the stage over the Tourmalet in Pau to take the third Tour de France victory of his career. The Frenchman has enjoyed a fine season, also winning the Criterium International earlier this year, and he will complement FDJ’s existing roster of aggressive French talent.
“He’s coming here to compete for one-day races and to win stages in the stage races,” Madiot explained. “He’s a winner and he doesn’t waste too many chances to win.”
Fédrigo had been linked with a move away from Bbox Bouygues Telecom after the Tour de France but was said to be awaiting news of potential new sponsors before making a decision on his future.
Bbox’s Thomas Voeckler this morning admitted that he could not rule out the “worse-case” scenario of Jean-René Bernaudeau’s team folding at the end of the season. It is unclear as to what impact Fédrigo’s departure will have on the team’s future, although Voeckler stated that he and Fédrigo “have carried the weight of responsibility” for the team over the past two seasons.
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
