Team Sky today announced three more riders for their 2010 squad. Australian Mathew Hayman and Frenchmen Sylvain Calzati and Nicolas Portal have been confirmed as part of the British team's inaugural roster.
Hayman will join compatriots already announced as part of the team, however, Calzati and Portal will become the first Frenchmen announced to the increasingly international line-up.
"It’s a great pleasure for us to have Sylvain and Nicolas onboard as our first two French riders," said Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford. "They are both experienced pros with a lot of good results on their CVs and they are both really versatile, all-round riders. Mathew has made his mark at the Classics, is a great team player and a solid performer throughout the year."
For Calzati, 30, the move will mark a return to the ProTour after one season with the now disbanded Agritubel squad. A winner of the 2006 Tour de France's stage eight into Lorient, 30-year-old Calzati rode for ProTour team AG2R Prévoyance from 2005 to 2008.
Portal, 30, will move from Spanish squad Caisse d'Epargne after four season and will be reunited with former AG2R teammate Calzati at the new British squad. A stage winner at the 2004 Dauphiné Libéré, Portal has ridden six Tours de France and is likely to support the team at Grand Tours.
Hayman's move to Sky will be the first team change in his professional career. He leaves Rabobank after nine seasons. A winner of the Commonwealth Games road race in 2006, the 31-year-old will join fellow Australians Simon Gerrans and Chris Sutton at Sky.
"We want to be able to compete at the highest level from the beginning of the year and with these new signings we have added significantly to our ability to do that," said Brailsford. "These new signings underline our international profile and our striving ambition to put together an excellent high-performance group of athletes who will be able to put Team Sky on the map in the new season."
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The signings announced today bring the official Sky roster to 22 riders from 11 different countries (see right). Italians Dario Cioni and Davide Viganò have also been widely reported as a members of the new squad, though Sky are yet to officially announce their signatures. The team have indicated that they will enter the 2010 season with a total squad of around 25 riders.
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Team Sky 2010 Roster*:
Geraint Thomas (Great Britain) Steve Cummings (Great Britain) Pete Kennaugh (Great Britain) Chris Froome (Great Britain) Ian Stannard (Great Britain) Russell Downing (Great Britain) Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway) Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden) Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Norway) Simon Gerrans (Australia) Juan Antonio Flecha (Spain) Kjell Carlstrom (Finland) John Lee Augustyn (South Africa) Greg Henderson (New Zealand) Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway) Morris Possoni (Italy) Michael Barry (Canada) Serge Pauwels (Belgium) Chris Sutton (Australia) Sylvain Calzati (France) Nicolas Portal (France) Mathew Hayman (Australia)
