Bjarne Riis has been working hard to close a new sponsor deal before the end of the season and it seems that an agreement has been reached with CSC for a prolongation of the sponsorship for another three years. According to Ole Egeblad, CSC, they are very close to signing a new deal and only minor issues has yet to be discussed.
"I can't say if it happens in a day or in a week, but obviously we are working on getting everything ready as soon as possible. An announcement at the Tour de France would be a good time," Ole Egeblad said to Feltet.dk referring to media exposure at the Tour.
Ole Egeblad will be in France himself to follow the team’s effort to bring Ivan Basso on the podium once more and perhaps even to climb up a step or two comparing to last year where he ended at the third place behind Lance Armstrong and Andreas Klöden. CSC has been very satisfied with the exposure during their sponsor period, and Egeblad expects the positive outcome to continue during a new period.
"We expect the team to deliver the results like they have done until now. It is no secret that we have been satisfied; otherwise we wouldn't be sitting at the negotiation table. On the other hand we are also aware that Bjarne Riis and Co. have some expectations and wish for an increase of the amount," the CSC manager of sponsorship explained.
The results are of course important for the sponsor of a cycling team, and Egeblad knows that the riders of Team CSC have perhaps delivered even more than he could have hoped for. "Of course the results mean a lot, but you can't ignore the fact that Bjarne Riis has done a fantastic job. I don't think any other team has managed to do a well during that short period of time. The team has existed for four and a half years and they have been on the podium each year: Two years with the mountain jersey, a year winning the team competition and last year with a third place overall," Egeblad pointed out, bringing also Hamilton, Sastre, Basso, Voigt, Julich, Zabriskie and Jacob Piil into focus. The announcement of a new sponsorship deal is therefore expected shortly if CSC and Bjarne Riis manage to sort out the final details.
