Kohl opts for Gerolsteiner

Austrian champion Bernhard Kohl is leaving T-Mobile and joining rival German team Gerolsteiner next season. "The T-Mobile Team has a lot of big names and good climbers on the team. That doesn't make it easy for a young rider to make his mark," explained Kohl, who revealed the extent of his talent in this year's Dauphiné Libéré, where he placed third overall.

"Team Gerolsteiner looks to young riders, and there I see my chance," he said on his website, www.bernhardkohl.at. "A big name is leaving the team in Levi Leipheimer, opening a position I hope to fill. In the last years, Team Gerolsteiner has showed that it can work well. I think that I can develop better there than in a team studded with big stars, such as T-Mobile."

But Kohl didn't forget to honour his current team, with which he turned professional in 2005. "It wasn't an easy decision," he noted. "T-Mobile brought me into pro cycling and I am thankful for that. I have always felt well with the team, but I think I can achieve my sporting goals better with Gerolsteiner."