CCC Team, which includes Matteo Trentin and Greg van
Avermaet, face nervous times ahead after their sponsor effectively called into
question the future backing of the team.
Dariusz Miłek, whose CCC company sponsors the team,
said it was now looking at its options as its income, mainly from selling shoes
and other leather products in a retail chain, had plummeted due to Covid19.
Milek, a billionaire and one of Poland’s wealthiest
people, said the cycling team he sponsors – former BMC – was unable to fulfill
its marketing role because racing had been closed down.
Looking ahead, he also said with the Tour de France’s
2020 edition less than certain, it was a very difficult time.
He added he could not expect his employees to share
the financial burden of the Covid19 crisis and not include the cycling teams in
that. CCC backs a WorldTour outfit as well as the CCC-Liv top woman’s team and development
squad.
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“We are now fighting for our business,” Miłek said in an interview published
by Poland’s Rowery site.
“It would be immoral to reduce our number of employees while excluding cyclists.
We will provide details in the coming weeks.
“(Cut backs) will be potentially painful, but necessary in this situation. Cyclists
are not currently riding — and will not be riding for a long time — so they
will not achieve the marketing goals set for this sport project.”
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Miłek added in other remarks published in Poland: “We
have a contract that obliges us for this year and for the next, but the company
must, and wants to, withdraw from it at a low cost, because the cyclists simply
do not provide services.
“We don’t have 265 racing days on Eurosport. They
canceled Giro d’Italia… and maybe the Tour de France. So it makes no sense to
invest in this sponsorship, since we have no benefit from it.”
CCC Team President Jim Ochowicz has announced the
majority of support staff will now lose their jobs until the Covid19 crisis
passes.
He added he had been left with no option but to
reduce costs and “heavily reduce” all riders’ salaries until the end of the
season.
“The economic implications of the Covid-19 pandemic
have had a drastic effect on business for our title sponsor CCC and
like other professional cycling teams,” Jim Ochowicz said.
“We are now faced with a lack of cash flow due
to unforeseen reductions in our sponsorships.
“In order to have the budget to race should the
season start again, we have had to temporarily suspend all but a handful of
staff and heavily reduce rider salaries.
“As soon as racing can resume, we hope to be in a
position to reinstate as many support staff as possible and reevaluate our
budget.
“We will do everything possible to keep the team
going during this period and hope to bounce back once the Covid-19 situation
improves.”
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