Vacansoleil signs Feillu brothers for two seasons

Romain and Brice Feillu have signed two-year contracts with Dutch team Vacansoleil. In a surprise double transfer, the two brothers will leave their current team, Agritubel, at the end of the season. French sponsor Agritubel will leave the sport end of the year. The team lost leader Christophe Moreau to Caisse d'Epargne last month.

"I am happy with these two reinforcements," said Team manager Daan Luijkx, when describing what might be considered one of the transfer coups of the season. "We felt an immediate and positive feeling when we talked to Brice and Romain. They are young, achieved big results and have an obvious career plan. This suits the team's policy.

"The two different riders balance the team for different races."

Romain, at 25 years old, is the older of the two and is a sprinter. He wore the yellow jersey in the Tour de France in 2008. He won a stage in the Tour de Picardie and the Tour du Limousin this year.

Vacansoleil already boasts talented sprinter Borut Bozic, who won a stage of the Tour of Pologne earlier in the month.

In his debut season as a professional, Brice Feillu won stage seven of this year's Tour de France. He stormed away from a break on mountaintop finish to Andorra's Arcalís.