A side-note, but one of importance, in the current controversy regarding Tom Boonen is that the Belgian sprinter and his Quick Step team have decided to extend his contract through 2011. According to La Dernière Heure, the team's sponsors all stand behind Boonen and team manager Patrick Lefevere and have not only assured their support of the squad for the next three years, but also granted that Boonen stays with the team during this period.
"Our sponsors want to announce that they are extending their engagement within cycling for three years. Tom is bound to the team for the next three years, too," Lefevere said in a press conference in Wielsbeke, Belgium, on Thursday.
"This decision was taken a few weeks ago - the current stir around Boonen doesn't change it," added Unilin manager Frans De Cock, whose company's brand Quick Step gives the cycling team its name. "We maintain our confidence in the team and in Tom, who remains a great champion. He gave us some fantastic moments these past sic years, and I don't want to forget that. This is not doping, it is private business. We are a small country and have few great champions. We have to forget this incident and look towards the future."
Boonen's contract was apparently signed already last Saturday, before the affair about his out-of-competition cocaine consumption broke.
Lefevere also confirmed the re-signing of some of the team's other riders. "On top of Boonen, Devolder, Rosseler, Visconti, Seeldrayers and Van Impe already signed on. I'm still negotiating with Steegmans and Barredo. As to Bettini, I have to think about it." The current World Champion has indicated that he wanted to put an end to his career after this season, but later came back on his words, saying he wished to continue with Quick Step.
