Demaret, El Fares and Tarramäe extend contracts with Cofidis

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Cofidis has extended the contracts of three riders until the end of 2010. Dutch website Wielerland.nl reports that Frenchmen Jean-Eudes Demaret, Julien El Fares and Estonian national champion Rein Tarramäe have agreed to stay with the team until the end of next season.

All three riders have claimed victories this season. El Fares won the first stage of Tirreno-Adriatico and also claimed the race's points classification. Last week he claimed the overall classification at the Tour de Wallonie in Belgium.

Demaret won stage five of the Etoille de Besseges in February and then another stage win at the Circuit de la Sarthe in April.

Tarramäe was the winner of the mountains classification at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco before he claimed both the road race and individual time trial titles at the Estonian national championships in June.

The team's sponsor, Cofidis, announced in July that despite its earlier plan to withdraw from the sport this year it would continue to sponsor the squad until the end of 2010.

Skil-Shimano select stagiaire

Skil-Shimano announced on Friday that Julien Antomarchi will join the Pro Continental squad as stagiaire. The team said the 25-year-old, who races for Velo Club La Pomme Marseille, will join Skil-Shimano for a trial period that will begin this month.

The news of the trial caps off a good week for Antomarchi. He won stage three of the Tour de Alsace in Huningue last week.

He began his amateur career in 2004 and has previously won stages of the Tour of the Somme and Tour de Bretagne.