Guillaume Boivin(Image credit: Cannondale Pro Cycling)
Elia Viviani (Cannondale) in a world of pain(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Team Cannondale looks more and more likely to dissolve before the 2015 season, creating a vigorous transfer market that has been in full swing since the Tour de France.
Leaders such as Ivan Basso, Peter Sagan and his older brother Juraj, are widely reportedly to be working on a move to Tinkoff-Saxo. Sagan's transfer to the Russian squad has been rumoured since March but negotiations seem to have been fruitful. Likewise Basso, the 2006 and 2010 Giro d'Italia winner, might go back to the team of Bjarne Riis, with which he worked from 2004 until his involvement in Operacion Puerto in 2006.
Eight riders are under contract with Cannondale through 2015 and could be part of the new team. Cyclingnews understands the eight are Moreno Moser, Elia Viviani, Alan Marangoni, Kristijan Koren, Davide Villella, Davide Formolo, Alberto Bettiol and Matej Mohoric. Garmin-Sharp CEO Jonathan apparently met with many of the riders in Italy after the Tour de France. However they are also free to consider other offers.
Cyclingnews sought out a few of the eight riders under contract with Cannondale on Tuesday at the start of stage three of the Tour of Poland in Kielce, although no one wanted to confirm a move to Garmin.
"I have a contract with Cannondale for 2015 and no plan B," said Moreno Moser. Neo-professionnals Davide Villella and Davide Formolo also said they were "confident" they will race for a team next year. Other riders have already announced transfers to new teams: Alessandro De Marchi and Damiano Caruso signed with BMC.
A reliable source at Cannondale estimates "half a dozen" other riders out of contract with the team have not secured their future yet, and Canada's Guillaume Boivin might be one of them. "It's not positive when you don't know what you will do," Boivin said. "Our team's situation is worrying for riders like us but also for the whole of cycling."
Another rider said he was expecting "Alonso could make his project", in order to secure jobs.
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Whatever Cannondale will do, it's likely that the current Italian team structure will not be used by Slipstream.
Cannondale's riders are expecting official news from their management within seven to ten days.
