The new GreenEdge cycling team’s goal of securing a major sponsor in its first season has been realized, with the global mining services company Orica Limited being confirmed today as its new backer.
A three year co-naming sponsorship arrangement has been announced at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne, and will see the team roll out in new kit at the Giro d’Italia.
The Grand Tour will be the first such race for the Australian team, and begins next Saturday.
The news is a considerable boost for the WorldTour team, and safeguards its future. It will now be renamed Orica-GreenEdge. As GreenEdge itself is not a brand, the new title suggests that there’s scope for a second big sponsor to come on board in the future.
"We're extremely proud to be teaming up with Orica in our debut season and onwards,” said the team’s owner and founder Gerry Ryan. “It's the perfect partner for us and we couldn't have found a more ambitious and forward thinking company to get onboard.
"We have had a dream start to our sporting goals, winning big races and putting GreenEdge on the map in professional cycling. This relationship with Orica, and our existing partners, will continue to make GreenEdge grow - for the athletes, for our fantastic fans and for cycling in general. It's a significant milestone for us.”
After it was announced in recent days that a backer was found, top sprinter Matt Goss spoke to VeloNation about the relevance of the news for the riders.
“It is really good. We only know as much as everyone else at the moment so we will wait till Tuesday and find out who the new sponsor is,” Goss said in a video interview carried out at the Presidential Tour of Turkey. “But it is really exciting, it is great that somebody is coming on board to help with the funding of the team and to make sure of the longevity of it.”
While other new squads have often taken a while to gell together, GreenEdge has had a very successful debut.
It started things off on home soil with victories in the national championship road race and time trial, where Simon Gerrans and Luke Durbridge picked up gold medals. Gerrans went on to win the Santos Tour Down Under.
In March, the team clocked up five victories in Europe. It took a superb team time trial victory in Tirreno Adriatico, a Classic triumph in Milan-Sanremo with Gerrans, then Michael Albasini’s two stage victories and overall triumph in the Volta a Catalunya.
Earlier this month Daryl Impey picked up stage two of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, while Durbridge took the time trial plus the overall in the Circuit de la Sarthe.
That kind of success is part of the reason Orica has got involved. It is Australia’s largest chemical company and employs more than 15,000 people in 50 countries. “This is a rare and fantastic opportunity to secure the founding co-naming sponsorship with this ground-breaking sporting venture,” said the company’s managing director and CEO. “GreenEDGE is the first Australian team at this level and it offers Orica a powerful sports marketing platform, perfectly aligned with our values and drivers.
"Cycling is dynamic, competitive and truly appeals to a global audience. We have a lot in common with the team; we're both multi-national organisations with an Australian DNA, and we share mutual aspirations driven by a focus on innovation and team work.”
The new jersey will also been seen at the upcoming Amgen Tour of California. A new-look identity will be rolled out before the Tour de France.