Mother Russia Rises Again Behind Staunch Katyusha Pro Cycling Team

The Katyusha pro cycling team will be one of the most talented for the 2009 season, as the Russian conglomerate ITERA will provide in excess of 15 million Euro to fund the newly founded Russian team. Katyusha management has wasted no time in acquiring top talent to take on some of Europe's best, and providing that the team can gel in the pre-season, a slew of wins throughout the year should be in the making.

For the early season classics, Katyusha will have a variety of cards to play. Geert Steegmans, comes over from Quik Step, and will lend a strong hand in the northern classics. The Belgian spent the past seasons learning from two-time Paris-Roubaix winner Tom Boonen, and is ready to take over leadership responsibilities during the tough cobbled-classics. For "la primevera", Milan-San Remo, it will be "Pippo" Pozzato who will fly the flag for the new Russian team. The Italian is coming off two years at Liquigas, where he took several big wins, including a stage win at Het Volk the Tour de France.

In the hilly Ardennes classics, Katyusha will hope that Pozzato can climb with the mountain men, but more likely it will be Christian Pfannberger who will lead the team at The Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallone, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The 28 year old seems ready to make the leap to elite classics star, after having finished in the top ten at all three Wallonian classics last year. He'll have an excellent contingent for support, including climber Alexander Botcharov, and recently deposed Astana climbers Vladimir Gusev and Antonio Colom.

When the grand tours roll around, expect Robbie McEwen to be featured heavily on the flat stages,along side Pozzato, while Vladimir Karpets fills the role GC hope for the team. The Russian is a former white jersey winner in the Tour de France, and will enjoy full leadership responsibilities for Katyusha at the Tour, and possibly, the Giro. Gusev too will be protected in the grand tours, as the stocky Russian is a great time trialist and improving climber.

Finally, the Hungarian Lazlo Bodrogi will act as the prologue/time trial specialist for Katyusha, and will hope to steal an early leader's jersey at one of the grand tours or perhaps a smaller stage race like the Tour de Swiss. The four-time Hungarian national time trial champion and former winner of the Tour of Luxembourg will provide valuable leadership and horse power, and will be of particular value in the team trials at the grand tours as well.

The Katyusha pro cycling team has not been shy in pursuing the best talent for the 2009 season. An interesting group of cycling protagonists have gathered for the inaugural season of the Russian conglomerate, and nothing short of multiple victories will be accepted. In fact, with the group of riders that they have signed, the Katyusha team may find itself as one of the most intriguing teams for the 2009 season. As long as the wins keep coming But with 15 million Euros finding the operation, how could the team not succeed?