Leopold König (NetApp-Endura) was most underrated in the Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Leopold Konig moved further into the top 10(Image credit: Sirotti)
Leopold König (NetApp-Endura)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The stage two podium: Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Mathias Frank (IAM Cycling), Leopold Konig (Ag2r-La Mondiale)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Leopold König (Netapp-Endura) will decide his future within the next week with three WorldTour teams and his existing ProContinental squad having offered him a contract for next season.
König finished seventh at the Tour de France last month, backing up his top ten finish in last year’s Vuelta. At the finish of the Tour the Czech rider told Cyclingnews that he would listen to all offers, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2014.
According to his personal manager, Brian Smith, the rider will most likely move to a WorldTour team despite Netapp’s desire to keep him. König did have four WorldTour teams on his traill but Smith added that one of the teams had turned their attention elsewhere. Smith would not confirm the names of the teams still interested in König.
“He has plenty of options at the moment, and we’re just waiting for the right team to come along because it’s important that a rider like that gets the best team. The negotiations are underway,” Smith told Cyclingnews.
“Leo needs to experience being at one of the top teams in the world. That’s why I think he gets the right opportunity. He’s got three offers from WorldTour teams at the moment. Netapp want to keep him but I think it’s important that he rides at WorldTour so he gets the best of everything.”
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
