After weeks of rumours and speculation, Team CSC-Saxo Bank's Carlos Sastre has finally announced that he is leaving the Danish squad and joining new outfit Cervélo Test Team as of next season. The 2008 Tour de France winner made the news official on his personal website, www.carlossastre.com, on Thursday. He will be holding a press conference on the Vuelta a España rest day on Friday.
Sastre, who had been linked to Oleg Tinkov's new Katusha team, finally opted to sign with the Canadian bike manufacturer because "it is a new project which fits very well with my way of being. It offers the opportunity to open frontiers and collaborate more actively with our sponsors and their clients. At the same time, we can contribute more efficiently to improving the technology of our materials."
The Cervélo Test Team, whose name may change before the 2009 season as the company is seeking another title sponsor, will serve as a proving ground for product development of five bike industry leaders, namely Cervélo, Zipp, Speedplay, Vittoria and 3T, as well as providing race results under a Professional Continental license.
"Race performance is only one component of Cervélo TestTeam," said Cervélo co-founder Gerard Vroomen. "Our riders will also be involved in field-testing and providing technical feedback. In addition they will participate in activities with our customers, making them more accessible to cycling fans."
Sastre thanked his former Team CSC-Saxo Bank and its manager Bjarne Riis for "seven unforgettable years", while at the same time explaining that he wanted to "look ahead into the future to find those motivations which will help me continue enjoying the bike. This is the main reason why I chose the Cervélo Test Team project. With it, a new and exciting road opens up to me that gives me new objectives for the remainder of my career."
Sastre is expected to reveal more about his choice in a press conference in Lleida, Spain, on Friday evening.
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