The CSC team has announced that Volodymir Gustov and Inigo Cuesta will join the team for 2006, filling the remaining two spots on its 30-rider roster. Both riders come to CSC on the recommendations of existing members of the team.
Ukrainian Gustov joins CSC after six years Fassa Bortolo on the recommendation of former team-mate Ivan Basso, while 36-year-old Cuesta formerly rode for Saunier Duval and was given the nod by countryman Carlos Sastre.
"Obviously, I'll listen when our top guys make suggestions for new riders, and that's been the case with these two final additions to the team," team manager Bjarne Riis said of the new signing. "We're talking about two strong riders, who fit very well into our schedule for next season, where we have a lot of stage races and hilly classics on the menu. Both Gustov and Cuesta come from big teams and bring along a lot of experience. Cuesta was one of the main profiles on the Cofidis Tour team while Gustov is still quite young and could develop further on our team."
Riis is very happy with the 2006 squad. "It's a big and very diverse line-up, and following this seasons fantastic results, we have a lot to live up to," he said. "We've never had such a strong team and next year we'll allow ourselves to have great expectations in both the classics and the big stage races. We have eight new and exciting riders on our team and I'm really looking forward to integrating them. We want to put our mark on the season from the beginning till the very end and I believe we have a lot to look forward to."
New riders joining Team CSC in 2006 are: Volodymir Gustov, Inigo Cuesta, Stuart O'Grady, Kasper Klostergaard, Karsten Kroon, Fabian Cancellara, Marcus Ljungqvist and Martin Pedersen.
