Europcar to end team sponsorship in 2015

Europcar will not renew its title sponsorship of WorldTour outfit Team Europcar when its contract expires at the end of the 2015 season.

The Paris-based rental car company has sponsored the team since the beginning of 2011 and heads into the start of a fifth and final season.

"We wanted to communicate our decision as soon as possible to the team to facilitate the search for a new partner,” said Nathalie Poujol, Director of Europcar International Communication, according to L'Equipe.

Jean-René Bernaudeau manages the longtime French squad, which developed from the Vendée U amateur set-up and entered the professional ranks in 2000 as Bonjour. Europcar took over as the main financial backer after its previous title sponsor Bouygues Telecom pulled out at the end of the 2010 season. Ahead of the 2014 campaign, the team jumped from Pro Continental level to the WorldTour.

The team includes top riders Thomas Voeckler, Bryan Coquard, Cyril Gautier, Pierre Rolland, Natnael Berhane and Romain Sicard.

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