According to team's official website, Portuguese duo Sergio Paulinho and Bruno Pires have extended their agreements with Tinkoff-Saxo. Sergio Paulinho has agreed to a three year deal, while Bruno Pires has signed a new two year contract.

Manager Bjarne Riis sees the extended agreements as a natural step in securing a core group of domestique riders to support the team leaders in the coming years.

"We know the two Portuguese, Sergio and Bruno, as reliable riders, who fits great into our team and philosophy. Sergio is a very strong and experienced worker, and he is a key person for Alberto in the stage races, but he still also has the capability of making results for himself. Bruno is another solid helper, who can be used in many races, and even though he is coming through a tough year, he is always willing to sacrifice himself for his teammates," Bjarne Riis says.

33 year-old Sergio Paulinho, an Olympic silver medalist from the Athens Games in 2004, is aiming to be a part of Tinkoff-Saxo's line-up for the Tour de France:

"Signing a new deal with the team means a lot to me. I'm very comfortable here, I'm still developing and I'm starting to feel like I'm a part of a family, so I'm happy to stay. In the 2014 season, I'm hoping to be able to win more races with the team and the main goal is again to be a part of the Tour de France line-up," he says. 

32 year old Bruno Pires is equally happy to continue with the team. 

"I'm very happy to have the opportunity to continue working with the incredible people at Tinkoff-Saxo and I'm having high hopes for the new season. It has been a very difficult year for me without the success I had hoped for. My ambition next year is to keep supporting my team proving that the team did the right thing choosing to extend the contract," Bruno Pires says.