KEY POINTS:
New Zealand cyclist Hayden Roulston has been told by the Swiss-based Cervelo team they want him to ride in next year's Tour de France.
Roulston, 27, has signed a contract to race full-time on the road with the team, which will include competing in the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Paris-Nice road race.
The Ashburton cyclist, who won two Olympic medals in Beijing, told The Press newspaper he was excited about the opportunity to cement his future in cycling.
"I haven't felt this motivated for a long time," Roulston said.
"The Olympics is one thing, but that's a one-off, whereas this racing is at the highest level week in, week out."
Roulston met Cervelo last week and said he felt at ease with the team, which includes this year's Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre.
"They've indicated to me that they want me to ride the Tour of Italy and the Tour de France," he told Radio Sport.
"Although they have named 10 or 11 guys that will be put forward ... they've personally said to me that they want me in there alongside Carlos Sastre."
Roulston said he thought the team respected what he had done on the track and now wanted to bring those skills to the road.
He leaves to begin his road racing career on January 8, which will start with either the Tour of Qatar or the Tour of California .
Roulston said he was still aiming for the 2012 Olympics, and was keen to ride at the 2010 Commonwealth Games but his priority was the Cervelo team.
- NZPA
