Danish champion jumps from Continental level to WorldTour team; no pressure for results in developing years
The BMC Racing Team has signed Danish champion Sebastian Lander for 2013. The 21-year-old former junior track World champion has been riding at Continental level in Denmark for the past three years, and is currently with the Glud & Marstrand-LRØ team.
Understandably, Lander is delighted to take the big step up the the WorldTour team that includes four of the last five World champions - in Alessandro Ballan (2008), Cadel Evans (2009), Thor Hushovd (2010) and Philippe Gilbert (2012) - and the 2010 Tour de France winner - in Evans.
"I want to keep improving, get stronger and hope I am the best teammate possible," Lander said. "I'll also be looking for some small successes myself, so if I can try to be there in some of the finishes, it could be very great."
"He's a good finisher and a puncheur, but also good in selective races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège Under 23 (a race in which he finished third in 2010)," said BMC Racing directeur sportif John Lelangue. "We're not going to ask him to immediately make results. He'll be there to learn from our world champion and a past Tour de France winner and from our big classic guys. Those guys are there to make results and if they do, he'll learn from them."
MTN-Qhubeka continues ambitious rise towards ProContinental status
As part of its growth towards Professional Continental status in 2013, MTN-Qhubeka has announced the signing of three more riders. The ambitious South African team has added Algerian Youcef Reguigui, German Andreas Stauff and Italian Kristian Sbaragli.
The most experienced of the three is Stauff, who spent 2010 and 2011 at Belgian WorldTour team Quick Step; he has spent the last season with German Continental Team Eddy Merckx-Indeland, and is looking forward to stepping back up to the elite level with MTN-Qhubeka.
“The team's philosophy and message, the project of an African cycling team is something I can relate to,” he said. “This is something I want to support. I think there is a lot of potential not only in Team MTN-Qhubeka itself, but in African cycling in general.
“I want to be a major support to the leaders on the team, especially in the lead outs and Classics races. Personally, I would also like to fulfill my own full potential and add to my palmares.”
Team Principal Douglas Ryder was excited at about the team’s progress for next year as he welcomed the team’s latest three recruits.
“Youcef Reguigui, Andreas Stauff and Kristian Sbaragli have already proven that they are race winners in their own right,” he said. “Their addition will only strengthen the team and we are looking forward to these riders forming part of our Classics team and riding in support of leaders like Gerald Ciolek especially.”