Jean Paul Van Poppel, venerable DS of the Cervélo Test Team, has given a clear indication that the rumors surrounding the Test Team’s demise at the end of the season are true, reports Velonation.
The website takes up Biciclismo.com‘s Spanish-language reporting, which quoted Van Poppel as saying “I cannot deny that it is true. The future will change. For me, it is a question of how [it will happen]. I hope that we don’t stop completely, but at this moment I can say nothing meaningful about it.â€
Carlos Sastre had already confirmed his move to the Geox team next season, but the indications are that Cerv̩lo had not tried to offer him Рor any of the other riders whose contracts were up Рa renegotiated deal for 2011. Biciclismo is reporting that Thor Hushovd, Hienrich Haussler, Roger Hammond and Andreas Klier will move to Garmin-Transitions next year, and that Cerv̩lo will also supply bikes to the team, which is part-owned by David Millar.
Cerv̩lo have scheduled a pre-Vuelta press conference for Saturday morning, where the situation will presumably become clearer. If the news is true, it will see the end of a fascinating experiment, so well documented in their Beyond the Peloton videos Рand the close to another chapter in the stuttering history of manufacturer-sponsored teams. The Test Team undoubtedly enhanced the reputation of the innovative bike manufacturer, but it appears the costs of maintaining a UCI ProTour team were simply too high.
The women’s team will stay as a stand-alone entity, it is reported.
