Omega Pharma and Quick Step join hands to form Super Team for 2012 – Cycling News
The two Belgian companies Omega Pharma and Quick Step have announced that both the teams will join and form a single team for 2012. The announcement of the merger was decided on Monday by the CEO of Omega Pharma Marc Coucke as he expressed his views to the
media.
Marc is hopeful that teams can perform better in the coming years by joining hands as he said, “With this agreement, we continue to invest in a Belgian team, reinforced with international talent. As in previous years, our goal is to be one of the top teams
in the World Tour.”
Quick Step’s manager Patrick Lefevere was also satisfied with the merger as he mentioned.
“We are very pleased with the deal we reached with Omega Pharma/BCC as much as we are about Quick Step’s renewal as co-sponsor and Innergetic as official partner. I would like to thank everyone involved for their professionalism during the negotiations.”
Jurgen Van den Broeck and Jelle Vanendert both have decided to stay with Lotto for 2012 as Philippe Gilbert still has not decided about his future team.
Philippe has 13 wins under his name for this season as he won San Sebastian recently. His biggest concern right now is about his team and there are speculations about his future team that he might move on to BMC in 2012.
Omega Pharma has made it clear that their links with the Belgian lottery Lotto will only be up till spring classics as they are already in contact with six new sponsors. Coucke is ready to go with Quick Step team with 4.5-million-euro budget and will prefer
Quick over Vacansoleil, Leopard Trek and Highroad. However, it will not be the first time when the two sponsors will be seen together as in 2003 and 2005 they have worked together until Omega Pharma decided to go on with Lotto.
Tom Boonen already has resigned for two more seasons and most of the stakes in the team structure has been sold to Zdenek Bakala, a Czech businessman but Lefevere is concerned and is putting all his efforts together for a better future of the team.
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