Team has agreed not to discuss the recent developments with new ProTour team during the Tour de France
Today at a pre-Tour de France press conference, Saxo Bank team owner Bjarne Riis did not announce a new primary sponsor to take over next season. The Dane has been very calculated with the information he has provided following Sunday’s announcement that sports director Kim Andersen would be leaving the team immediately to join a new ProTour squad based in Luxembourg.
In all likelihood Riis will lose both Andy and Frank Schleck, but the pair have agreed to negotiate with him provided there is a replacement sponsor. Still, Riis is realistic about the fact that a team from Luxembourg, presumably built around the Schleck brothers, will win their signatures over in the end.
The Dane confirmed that he is at the Tour de France to secure victory regardless of what is in store for 2011. “We have a very strong team,” he said at the press conference. “We have worked very hard to prepare ourselves, we are ready. We have two strong riders in Andy and Frank, and we have a strong team to support them. We have a strong team for the flat stages and a strong team to the mountains. We’re here to win.”
Riis said the team has agreed not to discuss the situation with the team during the Tour de France to minimize any distractions for the riders. “We won’t speculate on any of these rumours over the next three weeks. We are here as one team, to win the Tour de France together,” he explained.
It’s largely rumored that American technology company SunGard will take over as the main sponsor, but the Dane wasn’t giving anything away, preferring to maximize the impact of a possible future announcement.
“Finding a new sponsor requires patience,” he added. “I have patience, and I have a few options, but I have to say I can not reveal anything at this time. I have to keep my cards close to my chest. The riders are informed,” he explained.
Today Sporten.dk reported that Riis is no longer listed as a director for Riis Cycling. He said that it is a purely administrative move due to the fact that he and Trey Greenwood were not able to occupy the same position within the company. It could also be seen as part of the plan that Riis said he was keeping to himself earlier this week.