Sport

Impey joins Armstrong at RadioShack

23 September 2009

South African cyclist Daryl Impey has been signed by Team RadioShack, where he will join seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong for the 2010 season.

It's a welcome move for the 24-year-old, with Team Barloworld set to dissolve at the end of this season, after the sponsors chose not to renew their sponsorship. It also comes as Impey makes his comeback after a serious cycling accident in April.

In the final kilometre of the Tour of Turkey, Impey fell after being pushed by Dutchman Theo Bos, and suffered two broken vertabrae. Bos was suspended for a month for his actions. Impey, because his fall happened in the final kilometre, finished the stage and won the overall title.

Rehabilitation

At the end of August, in an interview with Gregor Brown of Cyclingnews.com, Impey indicated that his rehabilitation had been successful when he said: "The pains and aches have passed. I did what the doctor said, and now my back and all the rest is 100 percent. When I go on training rides of five or six hours, there are no problems."

Besides joining Armstrong, Impey will also be under the guidance of the highly respected Johan Bruyneel, whom Armstrong persuaded to move from Team Astana to Team RadioShack. The American announced the formation of the team during this year's Tour de France.

Bruyneel has been behind eight Tour de France victories – seven by Armstrong and one by Alberto Contador. He is also a former top cyclist himself – a top 10 finisher in the Tour de France, and also a stage winner in the world's most famous cycle race.

'I can only learn'

Reflecting on working with Armstrong and Bruyneel, Impey said: "I can only learn from the guys I am with, and I think it is going to raise my game as well.

"The expectations are going to be a lot higher, and I think that is going boost my performance as well."

Impey first learnt of Bruyneel's interest in him while in Como with star South African sprinter Robert Hunter, who had previously raced with Armstrong and under Bruyneel.

'He's here with me'

Bruyneel phoned Hunter to ask about Impey, and Hunter said "He's here with me" and passed on the telephone to Impey. The conversation dealt with the forthcoming year and about Barloworld stopping racing. Impey has been with the team for past two years.

He has since been given a one-year contract and he hopes to start off with RadioShack in January's Tour Down Under – the same race in which Armstrong made his return to professional cycling earlier this year.

"I hope to start off in Australia," Impey told Cyclingnews, "but a big goal would be to ride the Tour de France with Lance and [Levi] Leipheimer.

"Definitely a Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España or the Tour de France, is my goal."

SAinfo reporter