Team News: Nizzolo and Popovych re-sign with team

Radioshack Nissan Trek is happy to announce that the team has extended the contracts of Giacomo Nizzolo and Yaroslav Popovych

“I’m pleased to stay in the team where I have gotten the chance to grow as a pro bike rider,” says 23 year-old Giacomo Nizzolo, who has signed a contract for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. “My victories in the past weeks were reassuring for all parties: some sprints were won with amazing support of the team, others were necessarily done with fighting my way to the finish line, but that’s life for a sprinter. I’m hoping to step up now and return the faith the team has given me with some nice results.”

Team manager Johan Bruyneel: “Giacomo is one of the most promising youngsters out there. He’s been progressing a lot in these two years as a neo-pro and I’m really excited that he has chosen to stay with us, despite other interesting offers. It shows that confidence works both ways. I’m confident that Giacomo is going to claim his spot within the top tier of sprinters in the next years.”

32 year-old Yaroslav Popovych signs on for another year with the team. Popovych: “This team is pretty much like a second family for me. I know a lot of riders and staff since years and I’ve gotten to know a lot of new faces over the last year. I feel very good in this team, so there’s really no reason to consider to change.”

“There’s still the TTT at the Worlds left on my calendar, but I can already look back at a fulfilling 2012 season, having helped our captains at the Classics and in the Tour. The combination of these races is working really well for me and I would like to go on with a similar program next year. Of course I would still like to win a race here and there, but I’m determined to work for the team, as I’ve always done.”

“I’m 32 now, but I have a great example in Jens Voigt, with whom I have spent many hours at the front of the peloton over the years. I will be a very happy man if I come close to what he has achieved in his career”, concludes ‘Popo’.

Johan Bruyneel: “There are few guys in the peloton that are as strong and loyal as ‘Popo’. He’s always there when he’s needed and he has become one of the strongholds of the team over the years. It was very important for me that he stays on board.”

“I’m really happy and proud with both renewals. The negotiations with Michele Re, who represents both Giacomo and ‘Popo’, went really smooth and I could feel that both riders want to continue to be part of our project.”