Yesterday’s news that DCM would end its time as co-sponsor of the current Vacansoleil DCM team has been followed by a report suggesting that the title backer, Vacansoleil, will also end its current role at the end of the year.
According to De Telegraaf, the Dutch company has indicated to the WorldTour team that it will relinquish that position. However rather than stepping away entirely, it will reportedly reduce rather than eliminate its financial commitment and become a secondary sponsor to the squad.
The company has been in place since 2009 and gained considerable media exposure for its camping holiday business.
One week ago the website Sponsoring.fr said that Vacansoleil had decided to stop backing the squad. This was disputed by the team spokesman Frank Kwanten, who told VeloNation that any such news was premature.
“For us it is a strange message, and it doesn’t relate to any source or anything. I think it is more a rumour,” he told VeloNation then. “They are considering the situation…we haven’t heard anything from Vacansoleil. We know there are meetings in the next couple of weeks about the matter, so I think this is premature.”
VeloNation has thus far been unable to contact Kwanten about De Telegraaf’s story.
According to that newspaper, the team manager Daan Luijkx has been in negotiations with other potential backers. Current bike supplier Bianchi has reportedly been asked to up its backing.
The team clocked up its second win of the current season on Sunday when Lieuwe Westra won the opening stage of the Tour of California.