Several hours after a press release was issued stating that the Bahati Foundation team would cease to exist due to what was termed ‘financial considerations,’ the founder Rahsaan Bahati has contradicted this and said that the earlier communiqué was misleading.
He stated that both the team and the foundation would continue, but that things would be restructured to ensure the future of both.
“Today's announcement – made by the company I employed to manage the Bahati Foundation pro cycling team – was not entirely accurate,” he stated. “The Bahati Foundation is alive and well, but the race team that supports it will be undergoing a re-organization.
“Over the past year, I have learned some valuable lessons on how difficult it is to run a foundation and a business. I have never been involved in managing the team. However, by involving myself more in the day-to-day operations of both the race team and the foundation, I am confident that the mission of the Bahati Foundation will continue to be served.”
Bahati earlier issued a peculiar Twitter message early on Tuesday, stating that some things had happened which he did not approve of. “What would you do if someone deleted your facebook, twitter & website? I have some re-shuffling 2do. Thanks for taking away from the kids,” he wrote.
He confirmed that he knew who the parties responsible for the deletions were and this plus the later communiqué suggested that intriguing things were happening behind the scenes.
“There's a lot of mis-information flying around right now. It will take some time, but the facts of what has happened and what will be happening to the Bahati Foundation pro cycling team will emerge,” he said in the statement.
“The team has been, and will continue to be, competitive and race well. This team has been through some hard times, but it has persevered and will move forward in a much more sound and stable fashion. All the riders and staff who have been loyal to the team are moving forward with the new team.”
Controversial rider Floyd Landis had been scheduled to compete with the team this season, but those plans fell apart when he confessed to organised doping while with the USPS team, and accused others of being involved. Even though he parted ways with the team and the foundation did not endorse his position, that led to a withdrawal of some backers from the Bahati Foundation, including the squad’s co-sponsor Ouch.
The mission of the Bahati Foundation to support inner-city youth. Rahsaan Bahati is a 28 year old criterium specialist who won the national title in 2008. He competed with the Rock Racing team between 2007 and 2009, but was one of many riders who found the going rocky there.