In a massive blow to Irish cycling, it has been confirmed this morning that An Post-Chainreaction will not continue next year. It has lost its sponsors and could find replacements.
An Post Chainreaction ceases operations for 2018 season
The An Post-Chainreaction team has lost its battle to find a new sponsor so it could remain in the pro peloton on 2018.
The team had been backed by the Irish national postal service, An Post. However, it is facing commercial melt down itself and has ended of all its sponsorship of cycling in Ireland.
And without the title sponsor's backing the team was facing an uphill battle.
Team principal Sean Kelly recently told stickybottle while he was working away with potential sponsors; it quickly became clear to him that the number of possible backers for next year was small.
And this morning the team has made a statement saying it will not continue in 2018. However, it will look to come back the following year.
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When Kelly spoke to stickybottle earlier this month he said the fight to find a new backer was proving tough.
“It’s been harder than I thought,” Kelly said of the search for new sponsors. “I had a few possibilities but as I went through them; I thought it would happen easier.
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“We maybe started (the search) too late; perhaps waited a bit too long with not getting working on it earlier in the year. That probably was one of my problems.”
Kelly also said given the uncertainty in the Irish economy, and indeed internationally, the Continental scene in cycling was still fighting “hard times”.
“Even in Europe, not just in Ireland, it is definitely still quite difficult,” he said of the economic conditions.
“But I really feel we have a unique situation. We’re an Irish team; we’re competing abroad and looking after the younger guys coming up from junior and U23.
“From that point of view; with an Irish sponsor who is also trading in Europe, that’s the area we’ve been concentrating on. And there are some possible sponsors we’re still working on at the moment.
“We’re starting to run out of time. Back in June I had a number of people on my hit list. And then I started to really work on it, around July and August.
“And then when I started going through that list, people were saying they weren’t in a position to do it right at this moment, for one reason or another.
“When we worked down through the list, and we had a lot of contacts, a lot of potential sponsors; but as you started going down through them, people aren’t in a position (to back the team).
“At the moment we’re looking at the final (potential sponsors). But we have to get something soon; we have to get it in the next 10 days.
“By the end of October you have to submit (registration paperwork) to the UCI through Cycling Ireland.
“We’re really up against it. I’ve a small number I’m still negotiating with and really if it doesn’t happen in the next 10 days or two weeks…"
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