Despite time running out, Stefano Feltrin is still holding out hope of finding a title sponsor for the Tinkoff team for next year.
The Italian general manager set the end of the Giro d'Italia as a provisional deadline to find a title sponsor for 2017, but has confirmed to Cyclingnews that he is still no closer and that the search goes on. The current team is sponsored by Oleg Tinkov but the Russian businessman announced at the tail-end of last year that he would end his funding this December.
“Unfortunately there’s not a real update as we’ve not been able to secure anything,” Feltrin told Cyclingnews.
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“The Giro date was the goal and that’s where we are but things are still open. The team is fully funded until the end of the year but I’m an optimist and would give us a 50 per cent chance.
“Maybe I’m a bad manager but we’re the number one team and we’ve been top of the rankings for two months with the number one rider and yet we can’t secure a title sponsor. That tells you a lot. It’s a defeat for cycling.”
Feltrin has met with several parties, including current bike suppliers Specialized, with a view to increasing their investment in the team. However, the bike manufacturer looks content to keep its associations with several teams in the WorldTour, rather than focus on one in particular.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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