RadioShack Nissan directeur sportif Kim Andersen has, like the Schleck brothers and others, been linked to rumours of a new German team backed by the hair loss treatment Alpecin. However the Dane pours cold water on the theory, denying flat out that he has been contacted.
“I have not been contacted, and I can not imagine that you can manage to organize a new team so quickly,” he told Sporten.dk. “I know how stressful it was when we started in June to be ready with Leopard Trek in time for last season.”
Andersen has one year remaining on his contract with Team RadioShack. Relations have been strained this year on the team, with the Schleck brothers at times not seeing eye to eye with Johan Bruyneel, and Andersen being told by Bruyneel that he would not be working at the Tour de France.
Bruyneel ultimately did not go to France himself, due to the charges he faces in relation to the USADA investigation into the US Postal Service team, but Andersen was not permitted to step into the gap.
He is close to the Schleck brothers and so suggestions that he and they could move to a new setup might seem appealing. However like Frank Schleck, who also downplayed the idea yesterday, he said that he would see out the remainder of his contract.
Interestingly, the Schleck’s RadioShack team-mate Jens Voigt appears to hint that the team rumours are true, at least in relation to him possibly going there.
“I have not been presented with a specific contract. But there is no smoke without fire,” he told Eurosport.de. “Maybe I'll be offered a combined contract for one year as a rider, then as sports director.”
UCI president Pat McQuaid has said that he would be in favour of the idea, given the size of the German market and the fact that the sport is popular there.
The climate has however been tough for professional cycling in recent years, due to doping scandals involving riders such as Jan Ullrich and others.
Earlier this year, Ullrich essentially admitted using banned products and asked for forgiveness for that. In February his results from May 2005 were stripped and he was handed a two year ban, starting August 2011.
He has a contract as an ambassador for the Alpecin product and some have speculated that he could be part of the management squad of the new team. Even if that is the case, he would be unable to take up the role until his sanction ends in August of next year.
UCI rules prevent the announcement of new contracts until after August 1st, and so it may be only then when it becomes clear if there will indeed be a new German squad in the peloton in 2013.