Deutsche Telekom ends sponsorship

lucybears

Deutsche Telekom AG has elected to end sponsorship of professional cycling with immediate effect. This decision was taken by the Board of Management of the Bonn-based telecommunications group, which had been a sponsor of professional cycling since 1991. Sponsorship of both the men's and women's teams is ended with this action.
http://www.t-mobile-team.com/tmo_te...et/pages/889390

portia

Stapleton is going to continue as "Team HIGH ROAD" . It seems at the moment that he will finance the team himself. The sad news is that German cycling is dying, there´s only one Pro-Tour Team left: Milram and I suppose it is just a question of time when they will stop their sponsoring. The Sinkewitz affair has been lethal.

Leafer

There is still Gerolsteiner as well. Ironic, though, that that team, which just a few years back was considered the poor cousin to T-Mob, has turned out to be the one left standing.

portia

Yes, but Gerolsteiner decided to stop its sponsoring at the end of 2008 and Hans Michael Holzcer has not produced a new sponsor yet.

whiteboytrash

You can blame Armstrong for this one.... and the UCI...... well done Pat....
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BERLIN (AFP) — T-Mobile, the mobile phone division of German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom, said Tuesday it was ending its sponsorship of a major cycling team after a succession of doping scandals.
"We have decided to take this step to distance ourselves and the T-Mobile brand from the latest doping revelations in sport and especially in cycling," T-Mobile boss Hamid Akhavan said in a statement.

"We have worked hard with the current team management to create a cleaner sport of cycling. We have now decided to put our money to other uses," Akhavan said.

The T-Mobile team, formerly known as Deutsche Telekom, has been rocked in recent years by allegations that its cyclists used drugs.

The team sacked its highest profile rider, the 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich, in July 2006 amid allegations he was involved in a Spanish doping network.

Ullrich has since retired from cycling but continues to protest his innocence. T-Mobile also sacked German rider Patrik Sinkewitz in July this year after abnormal levels of testosterone were found in his blood.

Sinkewitz was given a one-year ban this month and has admitted using drugs. The announcement ends Deutsche Telekom's 16-year association with professional cycling.

portia

[QUOTE=whiteboytrash]You can blame Armstrong for this one.... and the UCI...... well done Pat....
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No. Armstrong came into view when everybody was already at it. It was Hein Verbrugghen who tolerated the mess.

helmutRoole2

Sad day. I found this on the AP wire:

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"Bait in 08" --nns1400

whiteboytrash

very good !

.......has the sport officially become ridiculous ?

portia

It has, WTB, in Gerrmany it has discredited itself completely, other nations prefer to believe in the show-offy behaviour of their athletes. The greatest pretender is Spain and its so-called sports minister, who prefers to kiss-kiss Contador. Sinkewitz stated that most of his colleagues from Spain and Italy are sheep as far as education is concerned, they do not have any proper schooling to do any other job, say they´re too stupid to do anything but move a bike. They have no vocational training whatsoever.

Crankyfeet

Well, something's gotta change. But I suspect that the country is still in mourning over Jan. And they've been sunk by the Sink.

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portia

No, definitely not, SOCCER is Germany´s main concern, though all those leagues whatsoever get on MY nerves. Nobody is mourning because of Jan apart from his hardheaded fans. But being committed to cycling and producing bad news because of PETTY cyclists like Sinkewitz triggered the decision by Telekom to opt out. I think they´re right, enough is enough. They have to sell something after all and shareholders will question whatever commitment.A petty cyclist like sinke should not be in their way.

jhuskey

The media killed cycling in Germany. The teams,managers etc. gave them ammunition but the media fired the lethal bullet.
No surprise here!

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Whenever I can't get excited about riding I just fantasize about someone else's bike.

portia

Sincerity is at stake: the media only revealed what cycling was(is) about. It is the one who is chemically speaking most armoured who wins the tour. why should we pay as viewers for such events? here you have to pay for public tv.

poulidor

I disagree. Only stupidity kill cycling! Thanks Verdruggen