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89th Tour de France - Grand Tour
France, July 6-28, 2002
Tour de France news for June 14, 2002
Edited by Jeff Jones
Kelme confident that Tour will be a success
The financially embattled Kelme-Costa Blanca team is hoping to make it through its current crisis, pay all its riders what they are owed and contest the Tour de France. The team's general manager, Joan Mas, gave an interview with Velo101.com, in which he promised that these things will occur.
"Pepé Quiles has confirmed it, everything will be in order for the Tour de France. We will not have another sponsor in place of Kelme-Costa Blanca. The riders will receive their back pay and we will animate the Tour as necessary."
Mas named Santiago Botero, Oscar Sevilla, Jose Enrique Gutierrez, Antonio Tauler, Francisco Cabello, Angel Vidal, José Manual Cuenca and Santiago Perez as the basis of their Tour team, with a ninth rider to be decided. "We will take the start to win, as in all sporting competitions. We want to be aggressive, take the initiative, be at the front and the teams classification shouldn't be forgotten."
The team also wishes to go for the white jersey of best young rider with Santi Perez.
It's unlikely that Kelme will remain as head sponsor next year, "In all probability, another sponsor will take the place of Kelme."
