Cipollini riding for Liquigas in 2005
Italy's former world champion Mario Cipollini ended speculation that he is to retire on Friday by announcing that he would ride next season for the Liquigas Sport team.

The 37-year-old sprinter, who holds the record for the most number of Giro d'Italia stage wins with 42, has been plagued by injury over the past two years. He pulled out of the Giro this year after crashing and then quit the Tour de France because of a thigh injury.

However, the 2002 world road race champion said he would line up for the first World Cup race next year, Milan-San Remo.

"I've signed for one season because then I'll be 38 and that's not young," Cipollini said.

Cipollini said he had considered retiring since a fall in the 2003 Giro "stopped my sporting body clock.”

"I've never fallen so much in my entire life. In those difficult moments, the first thing you think is to call it a day, that you've raced well but now it's time to go," he said.

"But then reality strikes. I've been on a bike for 31 years. It's my way of life, from what I eat to everything else. I left the cycling world for a while to think about things and then I understood how much I wanted to keep going, to keep elbowing my way past other cyclists, to compete.

"I was very undecided about which team to race with because I'm not a kid, I need a team to support the ambitions I still have. I believe I can still win."

Cipollini said the Liquigas deal had been signed quickly and that he was already looking forward to lining up for Milan-San Remo.

"I'm happy to bring my experience to the table but will be totally humble. The team has been together for a while so I'm not going to come in and tell them to change things," he said. –Reuters

CSC announces ’05 roster
Team CSC on Friday announced that it had signed six new riders – among them Americans David Zabriskie (U.S. Postal Service) and Christian Vande Velde (Liberty Seguros).

American Bobby Julich, bronze medalist in the 2004 Olympic time trial, also rejoins the squad, directed by Bjarne Riis and led by Italian Ivan Basso.

The other newcomers for 2005 include Dane Lars Bak (Bankgiroloterij), Italian Giovanni Lombardi (Domina Vacanze), and two neo-pros, 20-year-old Dane Matti Breschel and 19-year-old Luxembourger Andy Schleck.

"We have the potential to win both classics and the Tour de France next season,” said Riis, adding that the team hopes to increase its budget through signing a co-sponsor.

Meanwhile, German Jörg Jaksche will leave CSC in 2005 to ride for Manolo Saiz at Liberty.

"I am very grateful to Bjarne Riis and I leave the team after one very satisfactory season,” said the 28-year-old Jaksche, who raced for Saiz during 2001-03 at ONCE. –AFP

Team CSC in 2005:
Ivan Basso, Michele Bartoli, Fabrizio Guidi, Giovanni Lombardi and Andrea Peron (I); Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor); Lars Bak, Michael Blaudzun, Matti Breschel, Thomes Eriksen, Lars Michaelsen, Jakob Piil, Nicki Soerensen and Brian Vandborg (Den); Handbook Calvente and Carlos Sastre (Sp); Vladimir Goussev (Rus); Tristan Hoffmann (Ned); Peter Luttenberger (A), Andy and Frank Schleck (Lux); Jens Voigt (G); and Bobby Julich, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie (USA).

Discovery interested in Basso
Lance Armstrong's Discovery team would like to sign Italian cyclist Ivan Basso but hasn't approached him yet.

“We've been interested a long while in Basso as a cyclist and on human grounds,” Discovery spokesman Jogi Muller told The Associated Press by telephone Friday, adding that sporting director Johan Bruyneel “has a list of favorites and Basso is on it.”

“But he is under contract. There are no negotiations at the moment,” Muller said.

Basso finished third behind Armstrong in this year's Tour de France, riding for Team CSC. The 26-year-old was impressive in the mountains and even edged Armstrong to win the 12th stage. During his record-breaking 2004 Tour, Armstrong said he had “a ton of respect” for Basso, calling his “the brightest future for the Tour.”

Team CSC head Bjarne Riis, the 1996 Tour winner, insists Basso will stay.

“Of course, he has a three-year contract and he will not leave the team,” Riis said in a telephone interview.

Armstrong has yet to confirm whether he'll race in next year's Tour. If he does not, Bruyneel said Thursday, “Basso becomes one of the favorites, not just in the Tour but in the other big races.”

Basso joined Riis at Team CSC in January, replacing Tyler Hamilton as team leader. He began to flourish in 2002, finishing with the white jersey as Tour's best young rider. He was 11th overall that year, and seventh in 2003. –The Associated Press