Current Swiss Road Race champion Jonathan Fumeaux (IAM Cycling) has signed for UCI continental team Roth-AKROS for the 2017 season, the team have announced.
Fumeaux had raced for IAM Cycling for the past four seasons but with the Swiss World Tour team folding after failing to find a secondary sponsor, he struggled to find a contract.
Two weeks ago, his agent Phillipe Raimbaud had expressed concern over the fact that Fumeaux had not found a team for the forthcoming season.
“I’m a little worried,” Raimbaud had told 24heures.ch. “I do not understand the lack of eagerness towards him. Intelligect, combative, polyglot. In a Continental Pro team, he can win big races.”
Fumeaux won the Swiss title in June this year at Martigny, beating Pirmin Lang (IAM Cycling) and Steve Morabito (FDJ) into second and third places respectively. It followed on from his fourth place finish at the National Time-Trial Championships, where he finished just 8″ off the podium in a race won by Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo).
“We are happy to have Jonathan on board, he will have a leading role and will be a teacher for the young riders,” said Stefan Blaser – manager of Team Roth-AKROS.
For Jonathan Fumeaux this transfer means a new challenge: “I am happy to stay in a Swiss team and to be able to keep on showing my Swiss champion’s jersey on the international level. It is also an opportunity to share my experience with the young riders and to stay by their side as a leader.”
