Sauser to Specialized

29 year-old Swiss cross-country racer and UCI World Cup Champion Christoph Sauser will join Liam Killeen and Sabine Spitz at the Specialized mountain bike team for 2006 and beyond. After 10 years as a pro, Sauser said he was interested in riding on one of the Specialized machines. "Once I saw Liam racing a Carbon Epic this season, I knew I had to connect with Specialized for the future," said the Swiss rider. "Plus, they have a long history of working closely with their racers to develop new products, and that's exciting." Sauser will also rely on Specialized shoes, saddles, helmets and an array of other equipment.

Specialized Team Captain Ned Overend was particularly happy with the arrival of the Swiss star, "With a number of World Cup wins last year, Christoph is definitely at the top of his career," said the 1990 World Champion, "He seems genuinely excited about pulling on a red Specialized jersey and crushing the competition."

Sauser, who is due to finish his successful 2005 season at the Roc d'Azur marathon in the south of France this coming weekend, will have a specific focus on the UCI XC and MX World Cups and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.