Cummings to Discovery

British rider Steve Cummings will join the Discovery Channel ProTour team in 2007. Cummings is the current Commonwealth champion, 2005 world champion, and an Olympic silver medallist, all in the team pursuit.

Steve Cummings was apparently signed a few weeks ago by Discovery Channel. The team has not announced the signing officially, and team manager Johan Bruyneel could not be reached for comment. Cummings said he is looking forward to stepping up a level and cannot wait for the 2007 road season to begin.

This year, the 25 year-old had a good season with the Belgian Landbouwkrediet-Colnago squad. He earned a close second place behind classics star Alessandro Ballan at the Italian semi-classic Trofeo Laigueglia.

An injury followed by a bad crash cut short the second half of his road season. Landbouwkrediet-Colnago's team manager Gerard Bulens said, "We have had three riders already that have already gone on to good things with Bruyneel's team, and I am sure Steve will be a very valuable addition. He has a lot of talent and class and big ambitions, however he has always laid it on the line for the team, every time he was asked."

Joining the American ProTour team will not compromise Cummings' track ambitions. He is currently doing a five-week track training camp in Perth, Australia which explained his absence at the Discovery December training camp in Austin, Texas. However, he will join in the January camp in California.

Cummings' role on Discovery has not yet been announced but he may join the classics team under the guidance of Sean Yates, the British Tour de France star. Realistically, he realizes his chances for making the start line of the Tour de France in London next summer are slim. "It's every rider's dream, but I am not thinking about that at the moment. I would think it's a long-shot, but you never know in this sport. Certainly I'd love to ride it one day and am determined to do so." Participating in the Giro d'Italia is a more likely objective for the newly signed rider.