The signing of Manuel Fumic is a further step for Cannondale on the way to the 2012 Olympic Games in London and completes the team around marathon world champion Roel Paulissen, Marco Aurelio Fontana and Martin Gujan. "Cannondale Factory Racing only works with athletes who share our vision of mountain biking, and Manuel Fumic is the best example of this," says CFR Team Manager Daniel Hespeler. "I am convinced that the infrastructure and support of the team will not only strengthen Manuel at his current level, but will also enable him to develop even further as an athlete. We are really looking forward to working with him".

Fumic will make his racing debut for CFR in March at the Maremma Cup in Italy together with his teammate Marco Aurelio Fontana. The 28-year-old has set his sights high: "The World Cup podium is my goal for this season and after that I want to concentrate fully on the 2012 Olympics in London," says Fumic. "I can hardly wait until I get my new Flash and my new Scalpel and I can push Cannondale's innovative technologies to the limit in tough competition."