Pevenage joins Rock Racing

Rock Racing added the illustrious name of Rudy Pevenage to its roster for the 2009 season. He will become directeur sportif, according to a press release from the team. The Belgian has not worked as a director since being suspended from T-Mobile in 2006 for the possible Operación Puerto involvement.

Pevenage will meet up with Oscar Sevilla, who was also suspended from T-Mobile in 2006. Pevenage is best known for being Jan Ullrich's mentor and accompanying the now-retired German rider at Teams Telekom, Coast, Bianchi and T-Mobile, leading to renewed speculation that Ullrich may also join the US-based team.

He confirmed to investigators that Ullrich had met with Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes in Madrid a number of times, but only for the development of training plans, according to the German news magazine Focus.

It does not appear that Ullrich will be following the Belgian to the team, although "the project interests him. Not as a cyclist, but the overall idea," Ullrich's manager Wolfgang Strohband told Cyclingnews. "I am happy for Pevenage, but the subject has not come up with Jan."

In 2008, Rock Racing, run by Michael Ball, took 45 wins and 104 podium finishes. The sponsor is committed for the next five years. After doing well on the domestic scene in the United States, the team is planning to race more in Europe, even though it decided against taking out a Professional Continental license.