Rabobank is ending its sponsorship of its professional cycling team, citing the revelations surrounding the Lance Armstrong doping case as the reason behind their decision.
The Dutch bank will ends its 17 years association with the sport when its current deal worth £12.2m a year, expires on December 31st.
Bert Bruggnik of Rabobank said: “We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport.”
This news follows the decisions made by other sponsors, Nike, Trek and Anheuser Bush who have recently severed all ties with Armstrong in the wake of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report that concluded Armstrong engaged in “serial cheating.”
Cycling is now in perhaps the darkest place its ever been where surely now the only way is up, it’s one thing to have individual cyclists banned for cheating or be accused of cheating, but it’s just as, if not more, damaging when major long-time sponsors start pulling out.
In the modern sporting world sponsors are an essential part of a sports success and if more sponsors follow Rabobank and wash their hands of cycling, then the future of the sport is greatly under threat.
Cycling isn’t like football or tennis or golf where sponsors are falling over each other to get their brand associated with a star player or the sport itself, cycling has relied on a group of loyal long-time partners and if like Rabobank more choose to leave, there really won’t be much left.
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