After weeks of rumour and speculation, Filippo Pozzato has confirmed that he will leave Liquigas at the end of this season and ride for the newly formed Russian team, Katusha. The team, which has an annual budget of €15 million, is a continuation of the Tinkoff Credit Systems squad owned by Russian millionaire Oleg Tinkov.
Speaking on Italian television after stage 18 of the Tour de France, Pozzato said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for me. Katusha has great confidence in me and has made me a leader. We have a fantastic team for 2009."
Katusha has already secured the signatures of Quick Step sprinter Gert Steegmans and fellow Belgian Kenny Dehaes. The team is part of the €30 million Russian Global Cycling Project foundation, with financial backing from Russian companies Gazprom, Itera and Rostechnologii. It is rumoured to be signing more big name riders for next season, with the likes of Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre and Fabian Cancellara all thought to be possible candidates.
