Just read on http://www.velogessien.com/, that Sportful supposedly is going to replace Craft as Team Saxo Bank’s clothes sponsor. It should have been published on Saturday, but maybe Saxo Bank’s withdrawal as head sponsor by the end of 2010, delayed this press statement… It is interesting to see whether this is true, and what their comments and arguments to the change are… Craft has done quite a lot to get into the cycling clothes market, and their sponsorship of Team Saxo Bank has done a great deal for them and has certainly increased the awareness of Craft in Europe.
It will certainly also be interesting to follow Riis Cycling’s hard work to try and find a new head name sponsor for 2011 and the years to come. Some of the so-called experts say it will be almost impossible for them to find a new sponsor to replace Saxo Bank. I have no doubt that they will find a decent replacement. And a replacement who is willing to pay the amount necessary for the team to keep their Pro Tour license. But they may need to let some of the top guns go. Especially if the sponsor is not in place prior to the Tour de France. But as long as they can keep the Schleck Brothers, then it does not look that bad. Then they can build the team completely around the brothers and have smaller riders including plenty of Danish riders around them. And they can let the smaller profiled riders and the young talents ride the tough spring classics and have the main focus on the Tour de France. Some interesting numbers were also released last week… Apparently a Danish tv viewer watches three times more Tour de France than the best Danish football league. And bear in mind that the Tour de France is only in the tele three weeks in July, where many people are on vacation. The best Danish football league is on for approx. eight months, and all matches are broadcasted…
I believe that they mainly need to look to the southern Europe to find the new sponsor. There is probably just a handful of potential sponsors in Denmark at the moment, that have the funds and the reasons to become name sponsor. It could be companies like Lego or Carlsberg, but the Tour de France association does not allow sponsors, who sell beer like Carlsberg. But Carlsberg has other products, so maybe they are an option, as they have dropped their sponsorship of Liverpool Football Club. But none the less it will be interesting to follow this in 2010 as a cycling enthusiast.
On Sunday Rasmus Henning also came officially clean about which bike he will ride in 2010, instead of Boardman Bikes, in a Danish TV show… He and Specialized has decided to make a deal… Damn, I am jealous… ;-)
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