Redondo aspires to new leadership role at Andalucia-Cajasur

By Antonio J. Salmerón

The Spanish squad Andalucia-Cajasur replaced its lost leader veteran Luis Pérez, who left cycling following his win in the Ávila in the Vuelta, with two riders from ProTour teams, Jose Antonio Redondo from Astana and promising sprinter Francisco José Ventoso, who made his debut in 2004 with the Saunier Duval-Prodir Team.

The 22 year-old Redondo, who made his professional debut with the now defunct Liberty-Würth team at the end of 2005, formalized his preliminary agreement with the Andalusian professional continental squad for two seasons. Born in Alcazar de San Juan, the Spaniard hopes to approach his new role "much more in calmly" according to EFE. He named two main goals for 2008: the Vuelta a Andalucia in February and the Vuelta a España in September, but he is not ruling out his chances at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco or the Volta a Catalunya.

After all the problems at his previous two teams, Redondo is looking forward to calmer waters at Andalucia-Cajasur. "Although it is not a top-level squad, it is surrounded by good people who believe in their work," he said.