Following an excellent neo-pro season, which includes the best climber’s jersey at the Tour de l’Avenir and ninth overall at the Tour of Germany, Saul Raisin has decided to stay where he feels most comfortable.

The 22-year-old Georgian signed a two-year extension with Crédit Agricole that will keep him on the French team through the 2008 season.

“I had a lot of offers from other teams after the Tour of Germany, I decided I just wanted to stay focused and not have to worry about changing teams,” Raisin told VeloNews after his impressive world’s debut when he was part of the day’s early breakaway Sunday in Madrid.

Raisin raced last year with the French team’s development squad and jumped up to the pro ranks this season with consistent results despite a horrific crash in the Four Days of Dunkirk in May when a motorcycle ran over him during the race.

While he already had one more year remaining with Credit Agricole, several teams took notice after his strong German tour. Raisin admits he’s just getting comfortable racing in Europe and didn’t want the stress that comes with a new team and new faces.

“I’m just 22 and I just want to keep improving, not worry about money and contracts,” he said. “There’s a lot of trust with me and the team. I just wanted a good, honest contract with good incentives. If I race well, then they’ll give me some good bonuses. I don’t race for money. I race for the pleasure and enjoyment of the sport.”

Raisin will take his good late-season form into the fall classics, where he’s hoping for good rides at the GP Zurich on Sunday and the Giro di Lombardia on Oct. 15.

Check back to VeloNews.com later this week for a full interview with Raisin.

Boonen done for season
Recently crowned world champion Tom Boonen was brush up against some real royalty when he meets the King of Belgium later this week.

Boonen’s season officially ended on the Paseo de la Castellana as team officials confirmed Tuesday that he won’t race again this year as the 24-year-old is set to go under the knife.

“Tom will have surgery in Belgium on his abdomen as a follow-up to his surgery of last year,” said Quick Step team spokesman Alessandro Tegner. “He should be OK within a few days, but we don’t want to take any chances so he will not race again this year.”

The 24-year-old Belgian had an operation last October to correct a congenital disorder of his intestine.

Valverde dreams of Tour - not world’s
Spain’s Alejandro Valverde celebrated his silver medal with teammates Sunday night in a raucous party in Madrid. With two world’s silver medals in three years, it’s just a matter of time before a world crown comes around for “Balaverde,” or the Green Bullet, as he’s called in Spain.

But Valverde admits that it’s the Tour de France, not the world championships, that gets his blood pumping.

“I’d still like to win the world’s, but more than anything, I dream about winning the Tour,” Valverde told the Spanish daily MARCA. “I’d like to make a good (Tour) in 2006 and we’re going to plan the season in a different way.”

Valverde, 25, said he needs to improve in time trials before he can seriously challenge for overall victory. He didn’t discount wind tunnel testing and said he’ll work hard in the gym over the winter to add strength his frame.

Ballerini on way out?
The finger-pointing among the pre-race favored Italians began moments after Tom Boonen cruised into the rainbow jersey Sunday in Madrid.

The Italians were unable to control the race in the final, frenetic lap, allowing Boonen and a group of 23 riders to pull away in the final seven kilometers of the race. Paolo Bettini was the lone Italian to finish in the front group, coming through a disappointing 13th on a day when everyone predicted a Petacchi win.

Bettini already complained that Petacchi should have indicated earlier in the race that he wasn’t feeling very good. The Italian sprinter later said his legs were “wooden” after hotel air-conditioning brought on sinus problems, but he didn’t tell national team coach Franco Ballerini until the final lap.

By then it was too late for Bettini, who was part of a dangerous breakaway with three laps to go but was told not to work to play the Petacchi card for the sprint.

Some in Italian cycling circles are looking for a scapegoat and that could mean Ballerini is on the chopping block.

According to reports in La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian cycling president Renato Di Rocca said only the women’s team were impressive and expressed disappointment that Italy fell short of the final podium yet again.

Italy’s last world title came in 2002 with Mario Cipollini in Ballerini’s first year as national team coach. Since then, Ballerini has been able to impose discipline among the contentious Italians, but Sunday’s disaster could be the final straw for the former Paris-Roubaix winner.

According to La Gazzetta, four names are being floated as possible candidates to replace Ballerini: Massimo Ghirotto, Guiseppe Saronni, Moreno Argentin or Davide Cassani.

Ballerini, meanwhile, said he wants to stay on: “All I can say is that I love my job, but my position depends on the view of others. I must check that they still have faith in my abilities.”

More riders on the move
Scores of riders on are on the move. Here are some of the latest:

English track specialist Bradley Wiggins will leave Crédit Agricole after signing a two-year deal with Cofidis.

MrBookmaker.com is bolstering its lineup with hopes of joining the ProTour in 2007. Some of the recent additions include former Tour de France points winner Baden Cooke, Gianluca Bortolami, Jonas Ljungblad and Stefan Van Dijck.

Maarten Den Bakker is the latest name to join upstart Milram, the new German-sponsored team that’s taking over the ProTour spot held by Domina Vacanze. Erik Zabel and Alessandro Petacchi are the star names of the team so far.

Italian sprinter Salvatore Commesso is set to join Giancarlo Ferretti at his new sponsor taking over for Fassa Bortolo.

T-Mobile boss Olaf Ludwig confirmed that Spanish Paco Lara will leave at the end of this season, while Eric Baumann has extended for another year.

ProTour standings after world championships
1. Danilo Di Luca (Italy / Liquigas) 209
2. Tom Boonen (Belgium / Quick-Step) 171
3. Jan Ullrich (Germany / T-Mobile) 140
4. Lance Armstrong (United States / Discovery Channel) 139
5. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan / T-Mobile) 136
6. Levi Leipheimer (United States / Gerolsteiner) 131 7. Bobby Julich (United States / Team CSC) 130 8. George Hincapie (United States / Discovery Channel) 129
9. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy / Fassa Bortolo) 128
10. Davide Rebellin (Italy / Gerolsteiner) 126
11. Denis Menchov (Russia / Rabobank) 109
12. Francisco Mancebo (Spain / Illes Balears) 107
13. Michael Boogerd (Netherlands / Rabobank) 100
14. Cadel Evans (Australia / Davitamon - Lotto) 99
15. Roberto Heras (Spain / Liberty Seguros) 96
16. Santiago Botero (Colombia / Phonak) 95
17. Oscar Freire (Spain / Rabobank) 94
18. Paolo Savoldelli (Italy /