Team RadioShack earlier today announced that Nélson Oliveira (Portugal) and Philip Deignan (Ireland) have both signed agreements with the team lead by team manager Johan Bruyneel.

They are two of the six new riders who will join Team RadioShack in 2011. Last month Manuel Antonio Cardoso (Portugal), Ben King (USA), Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) and Jesse Sergent (New Zealand) have all previously signed contracts with the RadioShack team.

"Nélson and Philip have a lot of potential and just as important, they fit in with our group of experienced riders", explained Johan Bruyneel. "I always like to work with all-round riders, capable of performing well in stage races. Philip has already proved he has the skills necessary to finish Grand Tours. I look forward to working with him. That Nélson has talent is obvious when you look at his results of the last years."  Bruyneel continued, "We continue to work on the future of Team RadioShack. Ivan Rovny and Jason McCartney both re-signed for another year and we are still exploring the cycling market."

Nélson Oliveira (Vilarinho do Bairro, Portugal, March 6th, 1989) is a four-time national time trial champion. In July he took the silver medal at the U23 European Road Championships in Ankara as well as the bronze medal at the European TT Championships.  Oliveira finished 4th in last month's U23 TT World Championship in Melbourne. He rode for Team Xacobeo Galicia in 2010. One year earlier (with Cidade de Lugo - Artesania Galicia) he was second - behind Jack Bobridge - at the U23 TT World Championship in Mendrisio.

Philip Deignan (Letterkenny, Ireland, September 7th, 1983) is the first Irishman to win a stage in a Grand Tour (while riding for Cervelo TestTeam) since Stephen Roche's last-stage success at the Tour de France in 1992. Philip won the stage into Ávila in the 2009 Tour of Spain / Vuelta a Espana and finished 9th overall. Deignan rode four years for Team AG2R and two years for Cervélo TestTeam. Read Roadcycling.com's pre-season interview with Philip Deignan.