After previously stating that he will still waiting on prizemoney from the Tour of Ireland, Marco Pinotti has confirmed today that he has finally received payout of what was owed.
Pinotti revealed last year that there was a considerable delay in payment, and received assurances from the race director Alan Rushton that it would be settled. He confirmed to VeloNation this morning that the money related to the 2009 edition, when he finished fifth, rather than his victory one year earlier.
“Mr Rushton promised to do something last year around this time. He contacted me and said that he wanted to pay, so I forwarded his message for the team so they could arrange to split it between the staff and the riders,” he said.
“I think the [HTC Highroad] team probably got it some time ago, but it has just come through to me now.”
Rather than expressing frustration about the delay, Pinotti looks on the positive side. “I was lucky to get it as the organization was in [financial] trouble,” he said. “It was fair of them to pay it, though.”
The race returned to the calendar in 2007, picking up where the previous Nissan Classic left off back in 1992. It ran for three years, although the 2009 edition was cut from five to three days due to budget shortfalls.
The same shortfalls led to the cancellation of the 2010 event and organisers are still working on ways to bring the race back. Their task has been made more difficult by the economic downturn, which has been particularly pronounced in Ireland.
Pinotti is one of the most popular riders on the international circuit. He often plays a supporting role, but has also taken victories such as five Italian time trial titles, stages in the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de Romandie and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
The 36 year old moved to the BMC Racing Team this year and appears to have recovered well from a bad crash in last year’s Giro d’Italia. He will be the team’s protected GC rider in this year’s Giro, which begins on May 5th.
Note: a previous version of this story stated the sum involved related to the 2008 race rather than 2009.