Well it looks like Lance Armstrongs team will start the Giro d'Italia this weekend wearing Astana uniforms, despite financial difficulties at the team.
The European media has been saying that some team employees and riders have not been paid and the team is in jeopardy of losing its UCI license. There is a lot of talk about weather new sponsors will step in to rescue the team, even as soon as the start of the Giro. However there is little real information to suggest that, beyond Armstrong's mentioning to reporters that he would like, at some point, to own and manage his own pro team.
Armstrong told reporters in Italy on Wednesday that the financial situation concerned him. "There's not a lot of clarity about what is going to happen," he said, according to the Associated Press.
"Maybe the situation gets resolved, and the guys start getting their dough," Armstrong told the AP. "Otherwise, I think the license ought to be transferred to (team director) Johan (Bruyneel), and we try and start a team in the middle of the season."
Alain Rumpf, the UCI ProTour manager, said there has been no request to transfer the team's license to new owners.
"We are working to ensure that this critical situation can be solved in a satisfactory manner for all parties," Rumpf said. The team's license is owned by the Kazakh Cycling Federation. "If it is transferred, the license commission will have to make a decision under which condition a transfer can be approved. However, I would like to point out that this is purely hypothetical as we have received no request for the moment."
The European media has been saying that some team employees and riders have not been paid and the team is in jeopardy of losing its UCI license. There is a lot of talk about weather new sponsors will step in to rescue the team, even as soon as the start of the Giro. However there is little real information to suggest that, beyond Armstrong's mentioning to reporters that he would like, at some point, to own and manage his own pro team.
Armstrong told reporters in Italy on Wednesday that the financial situation concerned him. "There's not a lot of clarity about what is going to happen," he said, according to the Associated Press.
"Maybe the situation gets resolved, and the guys start getting their dough," Armstrong told the AP. "Otherwise, I think the license ought to be transferred to (team director) Johan (Bruyneel), and we try and start a team in the middle of the season."
Alain Rumpf, the UCI ProTour manager, said there has been no request to transfer the team's license to new owners.
"We are working to ensure that this critical situation can be solved in a satisfactory manner for all parties," Rumpf said. The team's license is owned by the Kazakh Cycling Federation. "If it is transferred, the license commission will have to make a decision under which condition a transfer can be approved. However, I would like to point out that this is purely hypothetical as we have received no request for the moment."
So it looks like Armstrong may be without a team. I hope I didn’t jynx him by posting my last blog! Sorry Lance.
1 comment:
Way to go Jeff! This is Lance we are talking about, he will figure it out. I think it would be cool if he started his own team.
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