Johannes Frohlinger and Rinaldo Nocentini racing toward the end of stage seven.(Image credit: Sirotti)
William Bonnet (Bbox Bougyues Telecom)(Image credit: Sirotti)
William Bonnet (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) earned his first victory of 2010 at Paris-Nice.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Skil-Shimano have announced the addition of Johannes Fröhlinger to their roster for the 2011 season. The German rider had been strongly linked with a move to Skil-Shimano in recent weeks and he has signed a one-year contract with the Dutch-based team.
25-year-old Fröhlinger turned professional with Gerolsteiner in 2007 before moving on to Milram last season. He is the second rider to move from Milram to Skil-Shimano in recent days, following in the footsteps of his compatriot Roger Kluge. Milram have yet to confirm a sponsor for the 2011, although they have applied for a ProTour licence for next season.
‘We have been monitoring Johannes Fröhlinger for a while now,” said Skil-Shimano general manager Iwan Spekenbrink. “We’ve known him since his time with the espoirs. He is a perfect fit for our team.”
Fröhlinger’s most notable performance in the professional ranks to date was third-place finish on the stage to Andorra-Arcalis in the 2009 Tour de France, while in 2008 he was edged out by Pavel Brutt for a stage win at the Giro d’Italia.
In other transfer news, William Bonnet will switch from BBox-Bouygues Telecom to the La Française des Jeux team for the 2011 season. According to Cyclismactu.net, the Frenchman has agreed on a two-year contract with FDJ.
Bonnet had previously been linked with a move to rejoin his former Credit Agrigole teammate Thor Hushovd at Cervelo TestTeam, but he has instead opted to stay in France with Marc Madiot’s squad. The 28-year-old has enjoyed his best season to date in 2010, winning a stage of Paris-Nice and finishing tenth at the Tour of Flanders.
Under the new transfer rules created by the UCI this year, riders and teams can announces new contracts in a so-called transfer period that runs from August 1 to October 20.
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Barry Ryan is 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.
