Charles Wegelius will join Garmin-Cervelo next season as a director sportif. The 33-year-old called time on his 11 year career in September 2011. He will spend the majority of his time leading the team in their Italian programme.
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“He has spent most of his career in Italy and he knows Italian cycling inside out. Culturally he’ll fit in with our quirky but professional organisation,” said Garmin’s Jonathan Vaughters.
Wegelius will join a reshuffled directorial line up at Garmin, with Allan Peiper joining and Lionel Marie departing for GreenEdge. Adrie van Diemen, Johnny Weltz and Bingen Fernandez remain at the team.
“We’ve got experienced guys who have been doing this for years. When I look for directors I look for something very specific and Charley has that. I need them to be of a certain mentality and you can build the experience around that but that unique instinct to communicate, you’ve either got that or you don’t.”
Wegelius forged a career in the pro ranks as a dedicated and dependable domestique. His climbing skills saw him work for several Giro winners and although he missed out on winning a professional race, Vaughters is certain that he will improve the team.
“He was a talented climber, a dedicated domestique. He was a hard working guy and that’s what I want in directors. You want guys that understand the racing. Sometimes you have to be a guy who has suffered during races and a guy that can’t afford to make mistakes. Charley has seen the race from all sides. You look for the smartest guys, not the ones with the best VO2 max.”