The Niedersachsen Rundfahrt is some 32,000 Euros shy of meeting its budget, race director Otto Pätzold said, and the race may have to be cancelled. "The finances are not secured, I can't take that responsibility," he told press agency dpa. Pätzold hoped to have a final decision by the coming Wednesday. "Because of the doping problems, many companies are no longer interested in supporting us," he noted.
Pätzold had announced last week that Team Milram was planning to send sprint start Alessandro Petacchi to the race. Petacchi won all the stages in the race in 2006. This year, the race is scheduled to run April 25 to 29.
