The media group Sky pulls back the end of 2019 from the sport of Cycling. Thus, the dominant professional team in the last few years, lose its money donors. How it goes for Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and co., is open.
Two Tour winner, a Team: Geraint Thomas (l.) and Chris Froome
“The most Important thing first, for the next year, nothing will change,” reads the website of the professional cyclist team Sky. The media group Sky had previously announced a surprise, at the end of the season in 2019, then eleven years as the Sponsor withdraw. “Sky is committed until the end of 2019, and together we have ambitious goals for the season,” said the Team in a “Open letter to the Fans”. “We all want to complete the story of team Sky with a strong Finish. We as a Team are more motivated than ever.” You’ll now be on the search for a new donor, “one who shares our Ethos and our values commitment”. At the latest until the Start of the Tour de France next July will be to determine whether, and if so, how is it going after 2019.
Five Tour de France overall victories
Team Sky was founded in February 2009 with the aim of, within five years of the first British Tour de France winner in the history of the tour de France. In 2012, the Plan worked, as The former track rider Bradley Wiggins triumphed on the Champs Elysees. In the same year, he also won the individual time trial at the Olympic Games in London. Sky is the dominant remained the end of the Cycling Team.
Bradley Wiggins was in 2012 the first British winner of the Tour de France
Christopher Froome won four times in the Tour de France (2013, 2015-17), in this the year Geraint Thomas took the overall victory. Only the Italian Vincenzo Nibali by 2014 broke the Sky of success at the Tour. Chris Froome managed to Sky the other two Grand tours to decide for themselves: the Vuelta in Spain (2017) and the Giro d’italia (2018).
Multiple under doping suspicion
Although Sky had propagated from the very beginning, at least a public Zero-tolerance policy on Doping, got the team several times in suspicion. So, it was revealed that during the Tour of 2011, a Sky employee had a mysterious drug package for Wiggins from the team’s headquarters in Manchester is approximately 1500 kilometers to the team hotel to France. The team claimed that in the package was a certain cough-solver. The Team would have been able to buy, but also in every French pharmacy.
2017 Froome during the Spain has been tested tour, which he won, a positive effect on Salbutamol. The Briton had a waiver for the Asthma drug, the amount in his urine, however, was twice as high as allowed. However, Froome was not locked, and in 2018 just before the Tour Start from the world Association UCI from doping suspicions officially acquitted. The Tour organizers ASO took back the shortly before announced the start of prohibition against the Sky rider. Froome was “only” third overall. However, with Geraint Thomas, a team Sky rider won again.
The Most Expensive Racing Team
Team Sky will have a budget of 35 million euros, reports the Insider. Thus, the team is considered to be the most expensive Team in the sport of Cycling. To find this sum now one or more new sponsors, is the great task for team Manager David Brailsford, who was caught in the Wake of the Doping scandals, even in the criticism. Because Cycling in Britain is booming since 2012, it is at least as excluded, that in the domestic market, new sponsors can be used. This is not possible, but traditionally in the summer, negotiations between Teams and drivers, threatens the disintegration of the currently dominant team in the sport of Cycling.