American speaks of three-year contract and bigger budget
HTC-Highroad's Bob Stapleton talks sponsorship before the start in Limoux. (Image credit: Barry Ryan)
Bob Stapleton indicated Sunday that he may have a new sponsor for HTC-Highroad lined up for the coming year. “Nothing has been signed yet, but I am very optimistic,” he said.
Mobile phone manufacturer HTC will stop its sponsorship at the end of this season, and contrary to earlier statements, Stapleton no longer believes the company will extend its contract.
He told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that he had been contacted by numerous international companies during the Tour de France. “I have two options, we even assume we will have a three-year contract and we will have a larger budget.”
At various times it had been reported that Stapleton hoped to announce a new sponsor by the Tour's second race day or sometime in August. It has also been reported that he was considering merging with an existing team, such as Saxo Bank-SunGard.
Numerous riders from the team have been rumoured to have found other teams for the coming year.
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