Rigoberto Urán (Etixx-QuickStep) is expected to join the Cannondale-Garmin team for 2016 after a strong hint via Twitter from team manager Jonathan Vaughters.
The Colombian Grand Tour rider has been linked to both Team Sky and Cannondale-Garmin in recent months but seems set to join the US-registered team after Dan Martin left for Etixx-QuickStep and Ryder Hesjedal confirmed he will ride for Trek Factory Racing next year. Urán finished second in both the 2013 and 2014 editions of the Giro d’Italia but struggled with illness this season and was off the pace in the Tour de France.
Vaughters tweeted: “Riddle: what will be green in 2016, has a long flowing mane, and two of the same last name? Answer tomorrow.”
Other riders heading to Cannondale-Garmin in 2016 include Dutch sprinter Wouter Wippert (from Drapac), Canadian Mike Woods (Optum-Kelly Benefits), Paddy Bevin (Avanti) and Ireland’s Ryan Mullen (An Post-Chain Reaction).
Bouhanni: My season is not over
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Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) is determined to finish 2015 on a good note after a series of six crashes in recent weeks. The French rider has suffered a string of bad luck that began with a bad crash at the French National Championships in June that nearly kept him out of the Tour de France. Bouhanni recovered only to crash out of the Tour in the opening week.
The misfortune continued in the opening week of the Vuelta a España. Bouhanni crashed several times before finally being forced to abandon on Sunday fearing a fractured elbow. Despite having crashed a couple of times in the opening stages, he managed to finish second on stage 3 behind Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo). Scans in hospital later revealed the bones were dislocated in the elbow but not fractured.
"After my crash in the Tour I took a little rest and form returned fairly quickly," Bouhanni said. Out of the seven Grand Tour starts he has taken in his career, he has been forced to abandon all but one. Still, the Frenchman remains determined to return to racing before the end of the season and perhaps ride the world road race championships in Richmond.
Velocio-SRAM announce final stage race roster for Boels Ladies Tour
The Velocio-SRAM riders will compete this week in their final stage race for the team, which is set to fold at the end of the season. The team will be one of eight top UCI women squads lining up Tuesday in Holland for the 2015 Boels Rental Ladies Tour. Remaining teams will consist of national squads from the United States, Italy, and Germany among others.
The six-stage race begins with a 110.8km road race in Zeddam. World Time Trial Champion Lisa Brennauer returns for Velocio-SRAM, hoping to better her overall runner-up finish to then teammate Evelyn Stevens (Boels-Dolman’s) in 2014. Brennauer had also won a stage and the points classification in the 2014 edition. Stevens will be returning to defend her title. Brennauer will be a strong favourite for the 11.4km individual time trial on Friday in Oosterhout.
In spite of the unfortunate news, Velocio-SRAM riders remain motivated to win and continue to do so with recent wins at the Women’s USA Pro Challenge on stage 2, and Ride London. Joining Brennauer in the Netherlands will be teammates Alena Amialiusik, Karol-Ann Canuel, Elise Delzenne, Mieke Kröger, and Trixi Worrack.
The FDJ team have added two more contract extensions, with Johan Le Bon and Matthieu Ladagnous both earning themselves two-year deals that will keep them in FDJ colours through to the end of 2017.
For Le Bon, a stage win at the Eneco Tour just over two weeks ago will have done him no harm when it came to negotiating a renewal. The 24-year-old has had a successful third season with the team, also taking victory in the prologue at the Boucles de la Mayenne in June.
“Here we go again for two years with Team FDJ, thank you for putting faith in me. A great pleasure to continue the adventure," he said on Twitter.
As for Ladagnous, the agreement will take the 30-year-old's long-standing association with FDJ to 12 years, having started his professional career with the French team back in 2006. He is without a win this season, his best result coming at the Tour du Haut Var, where he was fourth overall.
“I have just extended my contract for my 11th and 12th seasons with Team FDJ. Yes, 10 years already. Thank you for the trust,” said Ladagnous via Twitter.
The duo follow Benoit Vaugrenard, Murilo Fischer, Jeremy Roy, Cedric Pineau in earning extensions at the team for next year, with Sébastien Reichenbach and Ignatas Konovalovas joining from IAM and Marseille 13 KTM respectively.
