Following a day of rumours and unanswered phone calls, a clear indication that the Cervélo Test Team will stop at the end of the year has been received. Directeur sportif Jean Paul Van Poppel has admitted that the ProContinental squad may well cease to exist, ending what was an innovative two year project.
“I cannot deny that it is true,” said directeur sportif Jean Paul Van Poppe to Nusport. “The future will change. For me, it is a question of how [it will happen]. I hope that we don’t stop completely, but at this moment I can say nothing meaningful about it.”
According to the report, Thor Hushovd, Heinrich Haussler, Andreas Klier and the Briton Roger Hammond are likely to move to the Garmin Transitions team. Biciciclismo adds that the Cervélo brand will also travel across to the US ProTour squad, with the current Felt frames to be replaced by the Canadian bikes next season.
The Spanish website says that the other riders on the men’s team must look for contracts elsewhere, while the women’s team is likely to continue as a stand-along squad.
The latter point is subject to verification; current rider Regina Bruins said she was stunned to hear of the changes, and knew little. “I’m still negotiating with the team, and tomorrow I have an appointment with the team manager,” she told Nusport. “I am still amazed, and I cannot say more.”
Irish rider Philip Deignan is one of those on the team who was hit with the news yesterday. He is currently preparing for the Vuelta a España and has learned that the final year remaining on his contract won’t be fulfilled with the team.
His agent Andrew McQuaid of Azzurisports verified the details to VeloNation. “The riders were told yesterday that the team won't exist next year,” he revealed. “Nobody knows the exact details but now I'm busy trying to secure a different team for Philip for next year. He's had a very up and down season so far, but that is due to a viral infection he's had all year which was only diagnosed two weeks ago.
“However, his stage win and 9th in GC in the Tour of Spain last year shows just how good a rider he is and I am very hopeful to find him a team elsewhere.”
McQuaid added that the effects are more far-reaching that those currently employed by the team. “I was confident they were going to put an offer in for young New Zealender Clinton Avery, who's had a very successful year thus far,” he said. “Clinton is currently doing a stagiare with Radioshack, where he finished 5th on the last stage of Tour of Denmark, but now as there's no team I need to make sure to find him something else.”
Rumours started growing yesterday when the Norwegian Procycling.no website first reported that the squad was likely to stop. Other media picked up the story but there was little hard evidence and nobody was willing to go on record. Communication with both Cervélo and Garmin was not returned.
The newspaper said that disagreements had cropped up in recent months within Cervélo, as some people budgeted too high for the professional team.
2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre, who was a key signing for the team at the end of that season, recently left for Team Geox. He had not been offered a contract for 2011 and, it seems, neither had any other riders who were up for renewal. Now agents like McQuaid will be flat out trying to find new deals, while the riders and team staff will face a nervous time ahead.
More to follow on this story…