Francisco Ventoso

SEVILLA, Oct 24 (CP) - Spanish Pro Continental team Andalucía-Cajasur have strengthened their 2008 roster with the signings of Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi, José Antonio Redondo and José Antonio Carrasco.

Ventoso, who joins from Saunier Duval-Prodir, is a renown sprinter. The rider has seven wins on his palmarès, among them three this year in the Vuelta a Castilla y León. Though, his biggest win is without doubt his triumph on the third stage of the Vuelta a España in 2006. Ventoso will act as the formation's main man in the sprints next year.

Redondo, joining from Astana, is a 22-year-old climber. The rider turned pro in 2006 with the Liberty Seguros/Astana outfit, after spending a successful time there in the latter stages of the 2005 season as a so-called stagiaire. He's got no wins to his name as of yet, but will no doubt add firepower to Andalucía-Cajasur's bid for big wins next year.

The third rider to pen a deal with the team is José Antonio Carrasco, who'll make his pro debut in 2008 after spending the 2007 season with the team's under-23 outfit. The promising rider is not to be confused with current Andalucía-Cajasur rider José Luís Carrasco.

© Magnus Aarre