With the 2009 cycle road racing season about to heat up in Europe with the Spring Classics imminent, here is the low-down on Team Saxo Bank.
Who are Team Saxo Bank?
The team is owned by Riis racing, managed by former rider Bjarne Riis. The team, formally called CSC - Saxo Bank, is this year solely title sponsored by the international bank. Other, non title, sponsors include Skoda, Bell and Specialized who provide the team's bike frames.
The team's manager is Bjarne Riis, who was the winner of the 1996 Tour de France, before he admitted he undertook doping practices to assist in the win. Much controversy surrounded his admission but Riis remains in cycling and is contributing to the fight to drive doping out of the sport. Other members of the management team include Lars Michaelson, Dan Frost and recently retired rider Bradley McGee.
Who are Team Saxo Bank's Riders?
Team Saxo Bank have strength in depth and are able to target results throughout the year in the full range of races the professional cycling calendar throws at them.
For single day classic races the team can use Fabian Cancellara, whilst Kurt Asle Arvesen and Matti Breschel are both capable of performing well. For single week stage races German Jens Voigt is always a good bet whilst in the Grand Tours the team has the Schleck brothers, both of whom are able to put in rides that could lead to podium positions.
The team is also able to back up these riders with strong support, as anyone watching the Tour last year can testify when the group of Saxo Bank (then CSC) riders shredded the opposition during the decisive stage to Alpe d'Huez. In short, this is one of the strongest teams in professional cycling.
Team Saxo Bank's full roster:
Kurt-Asle Arvesen; Lars Bak; Jonathan Bellis; Matti Breschel; Lasse Bøchman; Fabian Cancellara; Jakob Fuglsang; Matthew Goss; Juan José Haedo; Frank Høj; Dominic Klemme; Kasper Klostergaard; Alexandr Kolobnev; Karsten Kroon; Gustav Larsson; Marcus Ljungqvist; Anders Lund; Jason McCartney; Michael Mørkøv; Stuart O'Grady; Alex Rasmussen; Andy Schleck; Fränk Schleck; André Steensen; Chris Anker Sørensen; Nicki Sørensen; Jurgen Van Goolen; Jens Voigt.
How Did Team Saxo Bank Perform in 2008?
Under the name CSC-Saxo bank the team took 39 wins in 2008, spread out throughout the whole season. Cancellara put in one of the rides of the year to win the first classic of the season in Milan – San Remo before going on to take Olympic Gold in the Time Trial towards the end of the season.
However, the highlight of their year was Spanish rider Carlos Sastre's win in the Tour de France. Sastre was superbly supported by his team during the race and kept himself out of the limelight until the stage to Alpe d'Huez where he not only won this most famous stage but also took control of the race before holding on in the time trial to step on to the top step of the Tour's podium in Paris.
Sastre then completed a fantastic year by going on to a podium place in the final grand tour of the year – the Vuelta a Espana.
What Are the Targets for Saxo Bank in 2009?
Even with the departure of reigning Tour champion Carlos Sastre the team still looks very strong for cycling's blue riband event and is possibly the only team likely to challenge Astana in July.
The Schleck brothers will both be looking to put in good rides in the Tour, although the younger of the two – Andy – is probably more likely to deliver. The apparent ease of his ascent of the Alpe last year, as he effectively ended Cadel Evans's challenge in support of Sastre, was truly impressive and bodes well for the mountain stages in 2009.
Away from the Tour the team will again target wins across the whole of the season and it would be foolhardy to bet against them picking up at least one win in the Spring Classics – Cancellara could again win Paris - Roubaix or Milan - San Remo.
References
Cycle Sport Magazine, April 2009
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