Oliver Zaugg and Matteo Tosatto have extended their contracts with Tinkoff-Saxo. Zaugg, a former Il Lombardia winner, and Tosatto will stay with the Danish team for another two seasons. General manager Bjarne Riis is happy with the contract extensions of the two domestiques.
In 2011 when riding with Leopard-Trek, Zaugg surprisingly crowned himself Il Lombardia winner: his biggest and only individual victory to date. After a career which started in 2004 with Saunier Duval, and also included teams like Gerolsteiner, Liquigas and Radioshack, Zaugg signed with Riis in 2013. His season was marred by injuries so he is happy to get the opportunity to sign a new contract.
“Naturally, I'm happy about getting another season with one of the top teams in the world. I had my ups and downs in the 2013 season, so I hope for a 2014 season with fewer crashes, so I'll be able to support the team captains. Of course, I'm also ready to create a result of my own, when the right opportunity occurs,” he said.
For Tosatto 2014 will be his 17th season in the pro ranks. He started his career in 1997 with MG Maglificio - Technogym. He also rode for Fassa Bortolo and Quick Step before signing with Saxo Bank in 2011. Tosatto will be 41 when his contract ends but the Italian still feels very motivated.
“I'm very happy to be able to sign a new deal for two years, and I'm as motivated as if it were my very first contract. I'm continuing my role as the experienced rider on the team as well as targeting my own result during the Classics before preparing for the Grand Tours. In any case, I'd love to win a race,” he said.
In his long career Tosatto has taken the start in 28 Grand Tours finishing 23 of them: 9 times in the Tour de France, 10 times in the Giro d'Italia and 4 times in the Vuelta a España. He won a stage in the 2006 Tour de France and a stage in the Giro in 2001. Zaugg started nine Grand Tours and finished six of them.
"These two guys have both proved their importance to the team, especially in the Grand Tours, so I'm delighted to be able to keep them with us," general manager Bjarne Riis said.
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"Matteo showed during this year's Tour de France how strong he still is. He can ride pretty much all races and has a great sense of how a race is developing. And last but not least he can be both a support for a GC captain, but also help bring a sprinter in position in the final kilometers of a race."
