Rominger to bow out with a new team

Tony Rominger is to join the new Cofidis team as their leader next year for his last season on the professional circuit.

The French team had already reached an agreement with the American Lance Armstrong, who revealed earlier this month that he had testicular and abdominal cancer, to be their No 1 rider.

Cofidis said they would still welcome Armstrong, currently undergoing treatment, if he were fit enough to join them but added they had to find somebody to replace him.

Rominger, a former world hour record won the Tour of Spain three times in a row from 1991 and 1993 and the Giro in 1995, was looking forward to a new challenge before retiring at the end of 1997. He rode for Mapei last year.

The 35-year-old from Switzerland proved he still had plenty to offer this year by taking third place in both the Vuelta and the time trial event at the World Championships.