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BRUSSELS, Jun 17 (CP) - The Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reported on Friday that the Australian Quickstep rider Michael Rogers, current leader in the Tour de Suisse, has been linked with a move to T-Mobile. At the German team, Rogers would be replacing the Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov. Quickstep manager Patrick Lefevre refused to confirm the news, but did admit to Rogers' likely departure: "It's a shame, but that's reality. He is leaving. Where to? I don't know. When I heard the price, through his manager Paul De Geyter, I simply told him 'good luck'. The problem is that the guys at this level are paid for what they do, not for what they have already done. "He won't be replaced with another promising Tour-rider. We simply cannot afford this."

© Jonathan Roorda