Michaelsen joins CSC for last time

By Greg Johnson

Team CSC has re-signed 37-year-old Lars Michaelsen for the last of 13-seasons as a professional rider. The Dane will again focus on the Spring Classics during his final season – an area which he's become somewhat of a specialist in.

"I'm looking forward to doing the cobble stones for the last time, because they've always been my main focus as a rider," explained Michaelsen. "They fascinate me the most and I've achieved my best results in them. Of course the fact that it's the very last time adds an extra dimension for me."

Michaelsen took his first major victory in the 1994 Paris-Bourges which he backed up with another win in the Gent-Wevelgem the following year. In 1997 he claimed wins in the opening stages of both the Vuelta a España and Vuelta a Burgos. Since joining Team CSC in 2003, Michaelsen has claimed overall victory in the 2005 Tour of Qatar and a stage victory in this year's Tour de Georgia.

"Lars is a key person on our team and we're happy he's chosen to do the classics one more time with us. The coble stone races are definitely his strong suit and we would be a lot worse off without him on board," said Team CSC's team manager Bjarne Riis. "Of course we're hoping he'll chose to stay on the team after having finished his career as a rider, because he has a lot more to offer. But the first priority right now is to give him the space to focus on doing the classics for the very last time."