Machado signs two-year deal with Katusha

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Portuguese rider Tiago Machado has signed a two-year deal with the Russian WorldTour Team Katusha for 2015 and 2016. He will add experience to the team’s stage-race campaign throughout the next two seasons.

“Machado charmed us a lot not only in the Tour de France but in his complete last campaign,” said Viacheslav Ekimov, Team Katusha’s general manager. “To reinforce our team for the stage races he is the perfect rider. Tiago can climb and he is a very good time trialist."

The 28-year-old will be returning to the WorldTour level having previously competed with RadioShack for four season before joining NetApp-Endura at the beginning of this year.

His success this year included an overall victory at the Tour de Slovénie, second at the Tour of Murcia, third at Critérium International, fourth at the Tour of California and sixth at Giro del Trentino. He has experience competing in all three of the Grand Tours, seen as an asset by Katusha's management.

“We know that Tiago is very keen on coming to our team," Ekimov said. "Team director José Azevedo and I worked with him already in the past in the Giro and the Vuelta. Tiago is a real pro, not an individualist, a real team player and the kind of rider we welcome with pleasure in our team.”