Paulissen leading 2009 Cannondale Factory Team

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Ten-time Belgian Champion and current Marathon World Champion Roel Paulissen, 32, will lead the 2009 European-based Cannondale Factory Team. Paulissen will be joined by two promising young riders, Italian rider Marco Aurelio Fontana, 24, and Swiss rider Martin Gujan, 26.

All three riders will be competing in World Cup cross country races and non-World Cup mountain bike events such as some rounds of the German Bundesliga series, the European championships, the World Championships and the Roc d'Azur plus plus other disciplines, such as cyclo-cross races and selected road races. Each rider is hoping to compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The team just finished off a week-long training camp in Massa Marittima, Italy, including competing in both weekends of the Maremma Cup. Fontana and Paulissen got things off to a good start with first and second places in the opening cross country race while Gujan finished second in the first kermesse. The team is now preparing for the upcoming World Cup races.

Daniel Hespeler and Florian Eschenbach will run the team as Manager and Director Sportif. Germany Stefan Röschl will take care of physiotherapy duties while Brit Jim Bryan serves as team mechanic.

Racers will compete on Cannondale Scalpels, Taurines, SuperSixs and CX9s.