Belkin and Orange Cycling await Roompot Vakanties' sponsorship decision

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Dutch Holiday company Roompot Vakanties will decide this week whether they will sponsor WorldTour team Belkin or new Pro Continental team Orange Cycling.

Roompot announced in June that they had made offers to both Dutch teams. It is unclear how much the company is offering, but Belkin is rumoured to be looking for a budget of 7 million while Orange Cycling is aiming for around 3 million.

At the time of the previous, Belkin were searching for new funding after their title sponsor decided to pull the plug weeks before the Tour de France. Since then, the WorldTour team has announced that they have signed a "formal declaration of intent" with the Dutch Lottery and the company BrandLoyalty. If these deals are to go through, Belkin would need a much smaller amount from Roompot.

The Orange Cycling team was announced in April of this year and is the brainchild of former pros Michael Boogerd, Erik Breukink, Jean-Paul van Poppel and agent and event manager Michael Zijlaard. The Dutch cycling project is yet to take on their first major sponsor. However, the team has taken a step closer to becoming a reality by applying for a Pro Continental licence for the 2015 season. They have until October 1 to finalise all of their funding.

"We are talking to more parties than just Roompot. It still looks good though and there should be an answer within a week or two," Zijlaard told Dutch newspaper AD.

They are now looking to sign a roster of purely Dutch riders, with a mixture of youth and experience. Names such as Bert-Jan Lindeman and Maurits Lammertink, have been linked with the team.