Vanhuffel still looking

Belgian Win Vanhuffel still doesn't know if or for whom he will be racing next season. The Silence-Lotto rider, whose contract was not renewed, is still looking for a team that will take him on, and is ready to make major cutbacks to continue his career.

"I will take everything that comes my way," he said to Belgian media. "I have some contacts with some teams, and I'm anxiously waiting for a phone call every day. Whoever calls me now, I will be endlessly grateful to. I would be willing even to race for minimum wage."

Vanhuffel, who finished 11th in the 2005 Giro d'Italia, doesn't want to hang up the bike just yet. "I want to invest one more year in myself. I'm prepared to take a step backwards. I don't have to be a leader – if you're good, that will follow."

Vanhuffel has not been able to repeat his Grand Tour feat since then. "Everyone always compares my performances with that 2005 Giro. Afterwards, I still finished 20th in the mountain stages, but nobody looks at those placings," he concluded. The Belgian completed this year's Giro in 38th place.