Liquigas has announced that it will sponsor its eponymous team for a further two seasons. The decision was announced at a press conference at the Giro d’Italia stage finish in Brescia today, according to tuttobiciweb.it. The team has also announced a two year extension to the contracts of both Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali, who currently stand in second and sixth in the Giro’s overall classification.
The bottled gas company previously sponsored a team until 2001, when it reportedly left the sport disgusted at the number of doping scandals in the sport. It returned in 2005, taking over the smaller Alessio-Bianchi team, before building to become what is the strongest team in this year’s Giro. Doping in the sport is still a concern for the sponsor though.
“I confess that the [Franco] Pellizotti story did make us think of abandoning,” said Paolo Dal Lago, chairman of Liquigas Sport. He was critical though, of the way the case had been handled by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
“It’s not possible to wait so long over such a long time span before raising the anomalies,” he said, referring to the fact that the apparently abnormal levels shown on Pellizotti’s passport dated from last year’s Tour de France, “and above all to release statements as Doctor Rossi, the head of anti-doping at the UCI, has done, declaring that there are more problems than just his biological passport…”
Moving on, Del Lago was pleased to announce that the team of 2011 and 2012 would be able to continue as the team of 2010 has. “Besides all the beautiful results we have together decided to continue and we want to continue at the highest level,” he said. “This is why we have renewed our contract with both Basso and Nibali.”
With the new commitment to sponsorship, the team will be able to develop even further as well as investing in younger talent. “After the Giro,” said team manager Roberto Amadio, “ we want to continue to build a team that is stronger and even more competitive. We will focus on young riders, as we have already begun in recent seasons.”
The good news, not only for Liquigas-Doimo but also for other teams looking for new sponsors, seems to be that despite the doping scandals and the World economic situation there is hope. “Cycling,” concluded Dal Lago, “remains an excellent investment, an excellent vehicle for publicity and image.
“We continue to believe in this sport and we are prepared to fight vigorously for more beautiful and clean cycling. In this regard we have to say that cycling is now among the cleanest sports of all. Other sports cannot say the same, why don’t they submit to all the controls and tests that cycling does.”