TRACK SPRINTER THEO BOS SWITCHES TO ROAD RACING

One less rival for Chris Hoy on the track, one more rival for Mark Cavendish on the road. Dutch track sprinter and current flying 200 metre world record holder Theo Bos has confirmed he will quit track racing to turn professional with the Rabobank road race team.

According to reports in Holland, Bos will ride for the Rabobank Continental development team in 2009 and then switch to the ProTour and target bigger races in 2010.

25 year-old Bos won a silver medal in the sprint at the Athens Olympics and was world champion in 2004, 2006 and 2007 but disappointed a the Beijing Olympics this summer, going out in the quarter finals.

Perhaps because of the dominance of Chris Hoy and the other British sprinters, Bos thought long and hard about switching to the road. He is reported to have turned down an initial offer from the Cervelo Test Team but signed for Rabobank for two years.

Rabobank are hoping Bos can take on Cavendish and Tom Boonen in 2010 and perhaps win flat races like Paris-Tours, GP Scheldeprijs and flat stages in stage races.

Bos has already began a more endurance-based training programme to help him switch to road racing but knows it will not be easy to become a successful road sprinter. "If I choose the road and fail, that's the end of my career," he said.

RELATED LINKS

2008 International track results

Beijing Olympics

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Race of Champions Hoy v Hamilton