Van Heeswijk to Rabobank?

"We can use another sprinter besides Oscar Freire," said Rabobank team manager Theo de Rooij to De Limburger when asked to confirm if Discovery Channel sprinter Max van Heeswijk is joining the team next season.

De Rooij admitted the 33 year-old's participation at the Tour de France is an important topic of conversation with the negotiations; since van Heeswijk joined his current team in 2003, he has not being included on their roster for Tour. De Limburger also suggests that if signed, the Dutchman will take the place of Australian Graeme Brown, who recently found his feet and won two stages of the Deutschland Tour.

According to van Heeswijk's agent, Paul the Geyter, it's a matter of days before the contract is signed: "There are still a couple of details that must be finalised, but they are only dots and commas," he said.