Multiple Grand Tour stage winner adds speed to Danish squad

Following on from this week’s contract extensions of Jesus Hernandez, Bejamin Noval and Rafal Majka, the Saxo Bank Tinkoff Bank team has announced the addition of the Italian sprinter Daniele Bennati to the lineup.



The 31 year old sprinter will move to the Danish team after two years with the Leopard Trek/RadioShack Nissan set-up, and sees it as a chance to turn the page after some frustrations.



“When Bjarne [Riis] contacted me, I immediately had an excellent feeling, and it's a dream come true for me to be able to ride for at team like Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank,” he said.



“2013 will be a very important year, I would say it's the start of my "new" career after a tough season, where I couldn't deliver as usual due to some health issues.”



Despite those issues, he bounced back recently to win stage 18 of the Vuelta a España. The success is the eleventh Grand Tour stage victory of his career, adding to five previous wins in the Spanish race, three in the Giro d’Italia and two in the 2007 Tour de France.



He’s also taken the points classifications in the Spanish and Italian events.



“I see Daniele as a great asset for our team,” said Saxo Bank Tinkoff Bank owner Bjarne Riis. “He is experienced and strong and can prevail in both tougher one-day-races and stage races.



“He showed in this year's Vuelta he is capable of sprinting with the best and still get results on his own. But he can also be a great help for his teammates, when it comes to the battle of positioning in the peloton and in team time trials.”



Bennati sounds fired up about the move. “I'm an experienced rider, and I'm convinced I still have a lot to give to a team like Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank, to myself and to cycling in general,” he stated. “In any case I can't wait to start this new experience.”