Sep Vanmarcke will lead the Belkin challenge in Flanders(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Technical Director Erik Breukink speaks at the team presentation.(Image credit: Rudi Ottens)
Belkin team manager Richard Plugge and team leader Bauke Mollema(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Roompot Vakanties, a Dutch holiday company, has money ready to invest in cycling, Omroep Zeeland reports. "We have a certain amount to invest in cycling in 2015," the company’s CEO said. "Both Belkin and Orange Cycling know the amount and the ball is now in their court."
Richard Plugge, CEO of Belkin, has set aside some money from the Rabobank years [the Dutch bank continues to pay a large share of the wage bill in 2014] and Bianchi have expressed their intentions to try and stay with the team. "We want to be a team that can compete in the mid regions of the WorldTour," he told NOS television last week. The amount that is rumoured around the team is 7 million Euro.
Both Belkin as Orange Cycling have set deadlines on the August 1. Belkin will allow its riders to look out for a new team after that date. For Orange Cycling the deadline is more flexible.
"We went to Roompot for another talk, which is a positive sign," Michael Zijlaard told Algemeen Dagblad on Saturday. "We are not looking for 7 to 8 million that Belkin wants.
"Maybe with a smaller team, the August deadline is less strict. Whether we succeed? I remain positive but we can only approach possible riders when we can really offer them something."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The Dutch holiday company wants to implement an expansion strategy and sees cycling fitting into that plan. "Roompot Vakanties' goal is to consolidate its leading position in the Netherlands and Germany and further expand activities in France, Germany and Belgium," the company website reads.
Vacansoleil-DCM, the Dutch WorldTour team that collapsed last season, had the same objective to use cycling as a means of promoting their camping businesses across Europe.
