Giant signs Montoya

Second-year elite racer Paolo Montoya signed a one-year contract with the Giant Italia team. He joins riders like Spaniard Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez and the Italian U23 Diego Rosa.

The 23-year-old Montoya hails from Costa Rica. Last year, he won a silver medal at the Pan American cross country Championships in San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela. He was also a member of the team that won the Tour de France VTT.

The agreement has been decided thanks to the support of MTB Brondello, who has been previously one of the partners of Team Infotre Lee Cougan, who is going to define a Team in the territory of Cuneo.

"Because of some personal problems, I decided to come back in Costa Rica in 2009," said Montoya. "Anyway, only in Europe the most important MTB competitions will happen. In December, I came back to Italy, but my previous team, Infotre Lee Cougan, has already decided its roster. Thanks to the Giant Italia Team and MTB Brondello, I will compete for three months, taking part to the most important international races."

"It is an honour for me to compete besides some great and amazing athletes like Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez," he said.

Montoya will extend Giant Italia's reach to the American realm. "Paolo Montoya is a good athlete, who can improve technically," said the team's Technical Manager Gianfranco Bechis.