Jose Rujano (Loteria de Boyaca) hustles on his way down a descent. (Image credit: Luis Barbosa)
Jose Rujano (Loteria de Boyaca) wasn't jumping for joy after a hard day in the saddle, but was pleased with the victory.(Image credit: Luis Barbosa)
Jose Rujano (ISD-Neri) wins the 2010 Tour de Langkawi(Image credit: Le Tour de Langkawi)
Androni Giocattoli team manager Gianni Savio has confirmed that Josè Rujano will rejoin the Italian team in 2011 and target the mountain stages at the Giro d’Italia.
Rujano was reported to be negotiating with the Spanish-based Movistar team but Savio secured his services and hopes to help the Venezuelan climber get his career back on track. Rujano has jumped from team to team since leaving Savio’s team but failed to re-find the success he had in the 2005 Giro d’Italia.
“We discovered him in a pueblo in the Andes and we helped him become a professional in 2003. After two seasons where we helped him grow gradually, he finished on the podium of the Giro d’Italia, won the stage to Sestriere and the green climber’s jersey. Then he lost his way,” Savio said in a statement issued by the team.
“Now we want to re-launch his career because we believe in his talent and believe that with our team spirit we can help him make a comeback and achieve some great results.”
Rujano fell out with Savio and moved to Quick Step in 2006, before riding for Unibet, Caisse d’Epargne and then ISD. He won the Tour de Langkawi at the start of the 2010 season but then headed back to South America and rode for the Gobernación del Zulia team when ISD was not invited to the Giro d’Italia. He won stage nine of the Vuelta a Colombia and the overall classification of the Vuelta al Táchira.
He vowed to only ride for a ProTour team but has signed a two-year contract with Androni Giocattoli.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
