Carlos Satsre and Denis Menchov may be forced to look for new teams for 2011, with press reports in Italy suggesting that the Geox-TMC team the pair have joined for next season is at risk of losing its headline sponsor after failing to secure ProTeam status.
With the team, which is the successor to Footon-Servetto, instead given Professional Continental – or “second division” – status by world cycling’s governing body, the UCI, the outfit faces uncertainty over whether it will receive invitations to compete in the sport’s biggest races such as the Tour de France – won by Sastre in 2008 – and the Giro’d’Italia and Vuelta, both of which have been won by Menchov.
Treviso-based footwear company Geox, which had previously featured among Lampre’s roll of sponsors, its name appearing on the team’s jerseys, took the decision this summer to step up its involvement in the sport and become headline sponsor of a team, reaching agreement with Footon-Servetto’s team manager, the Italian, Mauro Gianetti.
This week, the Geox-TMC squad has been holding its first team meeting in Spain. But Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that since the agreement with Gianetti was based on the team securing ProTeam status, failure to do so means that the footwear company is reconsidering its position.
Should the company decide to walk away from the team, the consequent reduction in budget would obviously have severe implications for the team’s plans for 2011. Although the Gazzetta says that Sastre, at 36 years of age, might be prepared to adapt to the changed circumstances, it highlights that Menchov may have other ideas.
The former Rabobank rider, who was at the presentation of the 2011 Tour de France in Paris in October, has big ambitions for next summer’s edition of the race, particularly given the expected absence of Alberto Contador, and may therefore be tempted to make a last-minute change of team should Geox withdraw its backing.
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
£4.
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
In that £1000 exactly scenario, beginners should probably be made aware that pedals will be extra.
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...