Michael Rasmussen’s personal sponsor Christina Hembo has responded to doubts raised recently by HTC-Columbia’s Brian Holm, saying that he is incorrect to be sceptical about her plans. Hembo has pledged to build a team around Rasmussen after Bjarne Riis decided that he would not form part of the Saxo Bank-SunGard team in 2011.
Rasmussen and Hembo had been in talks with Riis for many months in an attempt to work out a deal for the Danish rider to rejoin the team. He had previously competed for Riis in 2002, before heading to Rabobank and winning two Tour de France King of the Mountains titles. His career then derailed when he lied about his whereabouts prior to the 2007 Tour de France, and was forced to withdraw from the race just days from being crowned the overall winner.
Holm cast doubt on her plans last week, telling Sporten.dk that he considered it a publicity stunt. “You can almost only smile at such plans,” he said. “If Hembo works really fast and gets ten million Kroner, then maybe a wildcard for the Tour of Luxembourg or Hessen Rundfahrt is an option.
“It is not an easy task to start a cycling team due to the whole organisational setup. Just for starters, you need to have cars, bikes, masseurs and mechanics. And it’s hard work each day. That is how they do it on the small Danish team Glud & Marstrand or Team Concordia. Also, riders are not easy to find at the time of season when most have contracts for 2011.
“She might consider giving money to the Herning Cycling Club, where she will do racing some good. But I have trouble seeing Hembo’s project as anything other than a Jultand publicity stunt.”
Not so, the watch designer told the same publication today. “I actually thought that Brian Holm was a sports director or sports commentator…I think that maybe he should keep quiet.
“We have had the pleasure to be with Michael Rasmussen in the last few days. We are working with the team and will be soon ready to announce something. I’ve read that Brian Holm calls it a Jutland marketing trick. But Holm will [soon] be wiser, says Christina Hembo.
More news is expected soon on the team, with which Rasmussen hopes to continue the rebuilding of his career. Unlike other previously-suspended riders such as Ivan Basso and Alexandre Vinokourov, he has been unable to secure a place on a top team since returning last year.