Jumbo-Visma sports activities director Merijn Zeeman has made a robust, if an oblique, indication that the staff’s seek for a brand new sponsor to interchange grocery store chain Jumbo might be over.
In an article with Nieuwsblad headlined: ‘Sports activities director has excellent news for Wout Van Aert and co.’ Zeeman first acknowledged, ‘It’s now sure that we will proceed to construct on this staff within the coming years.’ after which repeated the interviewer’s query: ‘Am I saying the staff is assured?’ with the reply, ‘Sure, completely, though I can’t go into particulars.’
Whereas in June it was reported that Jumbo will cease sponsoring the staff on the finish of 2024, within the interview Nieuwsblad supplied its personal assertion that “The identify of the brand new sponsor is not going to be lengthy in coming.”
Whether or not confirmed or not, the sturdy hints a brand new sponsorship deal might be within the bag come precisely every week after it emerged that Jumbo-Visma’s proposed 2024 merger with Soudal-QuickStep was not going to happen.
“It’s true that we sat down with Soudal-QuickStep,” Zeeman stated within the interview, which was revealed concurrently by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, “nevertheless it was exploratory.”
“We additionally sat down with [Soudal-QuickStep co-leader] Remco Evenepoel, however that was exploratory too. What fits our staff finest, how lifelike it’s, the benefits and drawbacks, does it make us higher or not? That has been explored by quite a few folks.”
Though hypothesis that Amazon is perhaps enthusiastic about backing Jumbo-Visma appears set to stay as hypothesis, final week, Dutch newspaper AD reported contemporary rumours that Pon Holdings BV, who owns the staff’s bike sponsor, Cervélo, will probably be a key backer of the staff in 2024.
Norwegian enterprise software program and IT model Visma have already made it clear they’ll stay as a title sponsor, investing round €12 million.
Pon Holdings BV is a privately owned Netherlands firm that additionally owns Cannondale and different bike manufacturers. They import Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda within the Netherlands and have dealerships within the USA for Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin and different luxurious manufacturers. Pon Holdings BV claims their annual revenues exceed €10 billion.
Whoever the sponsor might but be, Zeeman stated that the staff was wanting ahead to persevering with for one more 10 years and that “I can say after our time with Jumbo, we’re coming into a brand new chapter.”
Within the prolonged interview, Zeeman defined how he considered the approaching departure of Primož Roglič from the staff after eight years and most of the staff’s high wins.
“He indicated that he needs one thing completely different within the years that stay to him as a bike owner,” Zeeman stated, “he needs to make a step to a staff that rides for him. “
“Primož has been very open and trustworthy about this, and we perceive and respect that, that’s why we helped with the switch.” He recognised, although, Roglič can be a formidable rival within the years to return.
In 2023 to this point, the staff has taken all three Grand Excursions and 66 victories, and extra might but are available the previous few races of the season. However Zeeman additionally pointed to an absence of a 2023 win in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, in addition to the opposite Monuments, as gaps that they might search to fill sooner or later.
“Within the Tour of Flanders this yr, we crossed paths with [winner] Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) and in Paris-Roubaix, Wout [Van Aert] had unhealthy luck and you can not say what would have occurred if that hadn’t occurred. However we are going to proceed to work intensively in the direction of these targets within the years to return.”