Cyclist Menchov signs with Katusha

Veteran Russian rider Denis Menchov has signed up with the Katusha racing team, it said in statement on Monday. Menchov, 33, is one of the most decorated riders in the peleton, with two wins in the Vuelta a Espana and one in the Giro d’Italia, and had been in search of a team to represent next year after his 2011 team, Geox-TMC, withdrew from the sport. “I am very glad to join Katusha. I have been looking forward to it for a long time and I always regarded it as the right step for me and my career,” the team quoted Menchov, who finished third in the 2010 Tour de France, as saying. Menchov said a goal was to help Russia “regain its leading position in world sport.” Various media reported Menchov had been in discussions with Katusha before the 2010 season but negotiations broke down. The Spanish Geox-TMC team announced earlier this month it would be forced to disband after failing to find a sponsor for next season.