Sutherland has had a prolific 2012 with overall GC wins at the Tour of Gila and Tour de Beauce (Canada). In addition, he picked up stage wins at the Tour of Utah and Stage 6 mountain top finish on top of Flagstaff Mountain during the US Pro Cycling Challenge.
In the Saxo Bank Press Release, team owner Riis said "Rory is a rider, who I believe can be a very important for our team. Throughout the talks we have had, I have gotten to know him as a great guy, genuine and dedicated to his job. His results also show, that he is a versatile rider, who is able to climb well and finish off races, when the opportunity is there. So for me it was natural to give him the chance to perform at the highest level".
I expect to see Sutherland to be a climbing domestique for Contador in either the Giro or the Tour de France after he showed that he was a very capable climber. But he think he has the capacity to win races if given the opportunity.
"I have been racing in the States for six years, and I have pretty much taught myself how to race at this level. I have had some fantastic experiences and had great support from my team, and I'm happy I could repay that with some great results," Sutherland said in response to his impending shift to the World Tour in 2013. "But now I also felt it was time for a change and to figure out how far I can go on the very top level. I really believe Bjarne Riis and Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank was the best choice for me on this journey. I like Bjarne's focus on team spirit, and the way the team is run and structured appeals to me. I believe this is an environment, where I can thrive and perform on a personal level and help the team achieve results," he later said.
Sutherland will join fellow Australians Jonathan Cantwell, David Tanner, Luke Roberts and neo-pro Jay McCarthy.
Good luck to Rory in 2013.
 |
| Sutherland claiming Stage 6 of the US Pro Challenge |
No comments:
Post a Comment