Second Edition News for July 22, 2002

Edited by Jeff Jones

Quick Step beds deal with Davitamon and Latexco

At a press conference in Avignon today, on the second rest day of the Tour de France, further details of Frans De Cock's new division I team were announced, with the additional sponsors joining Quick Step being Davitamon (a producer of vitamins) and Latexco (mattresses).

The budget was confirmed at eight million euros per year over a three year period. The team management wants to bring the Mapei riders into the new team, as well as riders from Lotto-Adecco and Domo-Farm Frites, because there will be several riders without contracts after the merger next year.

Under the deal, Davitamon is contributing 2,000,000 euros, which is equal to seven percent of the marketing budget of Omega Pharma, the parent company of Davitamon. Omega management has requested French riders, with one reason cited because the company has 30 percent of its business in France.

Domo-Farm Frites manager Patrick Lefevere will be joining the team as part of the management, possibly taking Johan Museeuw and Axel Merckx with him. The team's budget will put it up there with the top division I teams in terms of funding, but based on past experience it will probably take at least a year for the team to gel and start producing consistently good results.

The Belgian press are happy of course, because with the Lotto-Domo fusion there will be at least two division I teams in Belgium, not to mention Noel Demeulemaere's squad, which will be co-sponsored by ABX Logistics.

(All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2002)