CCC Team reaches salary agreement, worlds decision due end of May
CCC riders to receive at least 50 percent of pay, venue for world championships to be confirmed by the end of May
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CCC Team agrees salaries, though sponsorship still on the rocks
After over a month of uncertainty, the imperiled CCC Team has reached an agreement over rider salaries.
The team has been on the ropes for the past six weeks since their Polish backers have been reporting plummeting revenues and slumping share prices due to the coronavirus crisis.
It was confirmed early April that the team would suspend all activity and cut rider pay by up to 80 percent. Since then, riders have been negotiating with the team in a bid to meet halfway on contractual payments. Het Nieuwsblad reported Tuesday that a deal had been reached whereby at least 50 percent of annual salary for riders on the men’s and women’s team would be paid.
It is rumored that shoe manufacturers CCC will have to call time-out on its sponsorship of the team at the end of the season as it looks to trim budgets wherever possible. The news has yet to be confirmed, but the forecast is grim. Het Nieuwsblad reports that the team’s co-sponsor and bike provider Giant would be willing to continue its relationship with the squad, though not as a title backer.
World championships venue to be confirmed by end of May
After news last week that the world championships may need to find an alternative venue from its planned Swiss location, UCI has confirmed that a final decision will be made by the end of the month. If the event has to move from Aigle-Martigny, it will likely shift to Qatar, Oman or the United Arab Emirates at a date some time in the fall.
“I don’t want to discuss a scenario with the world championships in the Middle East at the moment,” said Peter Van den Abeele, deputy UCI sports director. “We are going to do everything we can to allow the world championships to take place at the planned dates and locations in Switzerland.”
“The current Swiss coronavirus measures apply until the end of August. At the end of May, the UCI will make a new decision for the following months and it will become clear whether our plan is feasible.”
The worlds are currently in the calendar for September 20-27.