Random Newz for a Monday:
Ex-Gerolsteiner riders Robert Forster and Ronny Scholz will ride for Milram next year. The signings continue the trend that Milram has established of signing every possible German-speaking rider. No word yet on whether they've succeeded in securing Linus Gerdemann's services.
Bernhard Kohl in an interview granted to German magazine Focus says that the crash he suffered during the crono at the Dauphiné created the incentive for him to use CERA. He feared that he would be unable to achieve sufficient results at the Tour de France to secure a new contract with the dissolution of team Gerolsteiner. Though he declined to discuss his suppliers with the press, he said he would explain all to the Austrian anti-doping authorities.
Alberto Contador will not return to the Giro d'Italia next season. This year's Maglia Rosa will give the Italian grand tour a pass, in order to focus on the Tour de France.
Guess the Belgian rider of the year. Stijn Devolder, the national champion and winner of the Ronde? Nope. Tom Boonen, winner of Paris-Roubaix? Wrong, again. This year's rider of the year is Greg Van Avermaet. Van Avermaet was most recently sighted in the winning break at Worlds in Varese.
Dario Cioni will reportedly leave Silence-Lotto. The 34 year old is expected to sign with the new Italian-Ukrainian team, ISD-Danieli. Over the weekend, Cioni placed third in the Firenze-Pistoia crono won by Andrei Grivko.
Russian finance guy Oleg Tinkoff will leave cycling at the end of this season. The decision comes as a consequence of the deepening world financial crisis, and Tinkoff will his full-time focus to his business interests. The team he founded will continue as Katyusha, with funds from Gazprom and Itera.
Euskaltel-Euskadi will sign only two new riders for next year. Pablo Urtasun, formerly of Liberty Seguros, and Mikel Nieve, from Orbea, will join the Basque team next season. The team will carry 22 riders on its roster including Olympic Champion Samuel Sanchez. Six riders will not return next year. The most significant transfer is Haimar Zubeldia to Astana. The remaining five were either not re-signed or will retire.
Happy Monday!