Former world championship silver medallist Svein Tuft looks set to become the biggest signing thus far for the Fly V Australia team which, through its holding company Pegasus Racing, is applying for a ProTour licence for 2011.
The Canadian has had a fine season with the Garmin Transitions team, winning the prologue in the recent Eneco Tour and placing fifth overall, and also taking the time trial plus second overall in the Tour of Denmark.
The move has been reported by the website of the Fédération Française de Cyclisme (French Cycling Federation), and will see him depart after two years with the American ProTour squad. Garmin Transitions is taking on seven riders from the Cervélo Test Team and with a limit of 30 on the squad, will therefore not be able to extend with several riders.
The Fly V Australia/Pegasus Racing setup has reportedly secured the necessary sponsorship to fund the ProTour team, and was due to submit the €15,000 ProTour licence application fee with the Union Cycliste Internationale last week.
General manager Chris White has signed at least 10 riders, including former Garmin pro Trent Lowe, but will need to be able to show the UCI that the final number will include top-level competitors. Meeting the sporting standards of the ProTour is one requirement for a licence, and so enticing some big guns on board is crucial if the application is to be successful.
Tuft’s signature will help, but White needs to keep chasing big names. He said recently that he was interested in taking Cervélo riders Heinrich Haussler and Brett Lancaster, but they opted instead to move to Garmin.
One who looks set to stay with the American team is David Millar. The Scot, who won the final time trial in last year’s Vuelta, has an ownership stake in the squad and has been competing with the Argyle team since 2008. He has had a successful season, winning the time trial plus the overall classification in the Three Days of De Panne, as well as the third stage of the Critérium International.
His strong performances against the clock also earned him second in the time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné and third in the prologue of the Tour de France.
According to the French federation, his new contract is for one year. It is not know whether he will retire, or plans to keep going past 2011.