Team Saxo Bank (currently Team CSC-Saxo Bank) will park their Cervelo bikes in the garage and bring out their brand new Specialized bikes come January 2009.

Specialized and Riis Cycling have entered into agreement and announced that Team Saxo Bank (Team CSC-Saxo Bank) will ride Specialized bikes and wear Specialized shoes from 2009. An agreement has been signed for three seasons with a possible extension at the end of this period.

The decision to substitute Cervelo for Specialized was expected by many pro cycling observers after Cervelo last week announced plans to launch Team Cervelo-TestTeam. "Cervelo is likely trying to maintain a prominent position within the world of pro cycling and prevent their brand value from decreasing as a result of the break with Team CSC-Saxo Bank. They were likely aware of the fact that Riis Cycling and Team CSC-Saxo Bank would not extend the contract with them and tried to respond as proactively as possible in this situation by launching a new team, claiming that this would provide the company with the best possible platform for new product development and testing," Roadcycling.com founder Thomas A. Valentinsen commented.

Valentinsen added "It could possibly be the other way around too. It may be that Cervelo is leaving Riis and Team CSC-Saxo Bank because they have something even greater in the works. Why would Team CSC-Saxo Bank want to change a working pattern? Cervelo may possibly be the party which benefits the most from the break. Especially if Cervelo manages to become the bike supplier of another major pro cycling team - or if their new Team Cervelo-TestTeam signs some major pro cycling stars. Team CSC-Saxo Bank is no longer as strong and dominant as it was a few years back, so parting ways with Riis may very well be the right decision for Phil White, Gerard Vroomen and the rest of Cervelo."

According to Riis Cycling the new partnership "will see a new legacy in the development of high-end bikes and state of the art materials."

“It is a natural relationship based on parallel visions and values.  At Specialized, we are focused on being the best cycling brand in the world and Riis Cycling and Team Saxo Bank are focused on being the best cycling team in the world.  We will push each other and enable each other to achieve more than ever before. We have a long history of working with the best athletes and the best teams in the world to help us develop better bikes and equipment. Getting feedback from Riis Cycling will give us the opportunity to continue doing just that” said Mike Sinyard, President and Founder of Specialized.

“I am really excited to start this new partnership and I think that we can create great things together with Specialized. We have had a lot of different possibilities in terms of equipment for the coming years, including working together with our existing partners, but we have chosen to embark on a new project and we are ready to take the next step with Specialized. There has been a clear mutual understanding and a good business-fit between the two companies from day one and I am convinced that it will become clear to everyone that these are two highly ambitious organizations that are going to collaborate closely in this deal. I chose Specialized based on our common vision, their excellent bikes and equipment combined with their ability to develop future materials that will help us win.  I have taken multiple trips to the Specialized headquarters in the past months to ride their bikes and speak with their engineers and I am hugely impressed with what I have seen” Bjarne Riis commented.

The question remains how open and cooperative Specialized will be after signing the agreement. Towards Roadcycling.com Specialized has been very closed and unwilling to cooperate and listen to new ideas. Once the agreement is signed a lock-in situation is formed and the company may be less interested in listening to the team's ideas because the contract period is three years. The main things that will likely cause Specialized to be interested in improving its current bike models and developing new bikes will likely be new product introductions from competitors or Team Saxo Bank riders being unable to ride the current Specialized bike models to victory in the most important pro races.

“We are very keen to give the best possible feedback to Specialized in order for us to be riding the best bikes in the world. The feedback from all our riders is fundamental in this process and we are notoriously famous for setting incredibly high standards. I am convinced that this is one of the main reasons why Specialized also sees this as a great project”, added Riis.

The decision to leave Cervelo for Specialized comes at a time where cycling industry analysts are paying close attention to Riis Cycling's (The company behind Team CSC-Saxo Bank) increasing focus on profits and revenue generation. One of the moves towards a more dedicated focus on revenue generation is Riis Cycling's decision to start distributing cycling equipment through its sister company Riis Distribution.