Sunday 21 September 2014 18:26, UK
Katusha have strengthened their climbing ranks by signing Tiago Machado on a two-year deal from NetApp-Endura.
The 28-year-old Portuguese rider will join the Russian team on January 1.
The move is a return to the UCI WorldTour for Machado, a year after he left RadioShack-Leopard.
He has enjoyed a strong season with NetApp-Endura, winning the Tour of Slovenia and finishing third at the Criterium International and fourth at the Tour of California.
He also won praise at the Tour de France after finishing the race despite crashing heavily on stage ten.
Katusha general manager Viacheslav Ekimov said: “Machado charmed us a lot, not only in the Tour de France, but in his complete last campaign.
“To reinforce our team for the stage races, he is the perfect rider. Tiago can climb and he is a very good time-triallist. Tiago is a real pro, not an individualist, a real team player and the kind of rider we welcome with pleasure in our team.”