T-Mobile announced Monday that Italian rider Lorenzo Bernucci had agreed to join the German squad, signing a two-year deal.

The 25-year-old Bernucci, who rode for Fassa Bortolo this season, hopes to build on his impressive debut in the 2005 Tour de France, where he won the sixth stage ahead of T-Mobile’s Alexandre Vinokourov, keeping the rubber side down in a rain-soaked final corner that saw a score of riders slipping, skidding and piling into the course barriers.

"The switch to the T-Mobile team is an important step in my career," said Bernucci. "My win at the Tour de France showed what I can do and I hope to use this as a building block."

The Italian rider is the sixth new recruit for T-Mobile, joining Patrik Sinkewitz, Jorg Ludewig, Thomas Ziegler, Kim Kirchen and Australian Michael Rogers.