Cycling Team Sky stops at the end of next season with the sponsoring of its cycling team. That leaves the British team itself know in an announcement. “As a new sponsor from the beginning of 2020 with the necessary funds, guarantees, we will drive from then on, under another name”, says the. With the imminent departure of Team Sky, which saw the light of day in 2010, disappears the largest player on the market of sponsors cycling.

Team Sky in the morning, the cycling world have been simply paralyzed. The British television network has decided that by 2019 its final season in the sport of cycling. “After ten seasons of unparalleled success we say goodbye”, it sounds in a press release. Sky adds that the team, if another sponsor is found, in 2020, will continue under a different name.

The sterrenformatie of manager David Brailsford, with top cyclists such as Chris Froome and reigning tour winner Geraint Thomas in the ranks, wrote since its creation in 2010, 322 victories to his name. Team Sky won eight large rounds, 52 other stage races and 25 one day races. Highlights in the history of the team the grand tour wins, respectively, Bradley Wiggins (2012), Chris Froome (2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017) and Geraint Thomas (2018). (read on below)

Largest player

With Sky disappears to become the largest player on the market of the sponsorship of cycle racing from the peloton. The previous season was a 35 million pounds (nearly 39 million euro) to the succesploeg of Dave Brailsford, the largest budget of all the WorldTour teams. Sky declares the cessation of the sponsorship of the cycling team “as a new phase in the development of the company”. Together with the management of the team will Sky be able to help in the search for a new sponsor. “Sky is in the world of cycling stepped with the goal of success in the peloton to bring across the whole population,” explains CEO Jeremy Darroch. “After more than a decade (Sky started in 2008, its participation in the championships as a partner of British Cycling, ed.) I can’t be prouder with what we all have achieved. But 2019 is the right time to say goodbye and a new chapter to open in our history. I would like to pay tribute to Dave Brailsford and his immensely talented team. What they have achieved, but many are not even dreamed of.”

Brailsford: “Focus on 2019″

Team manager Dave Brailsford would be the news a week ago to hear have been ‘shocked’ response. “The vision of Sky was a clean, winning team, with British riders and a British staff,” says Brailsford on the website of Sky. “The beautiful results are the result of talent, hard work and perseverance. This was all never have been possible without Sky. Itself we look forward to a continuation of our project, if the right partner comes. But first, we focus still on 2019. There is another challenging year to come. In it we are going to do everything to be with Team Sky again to be successful.”

Froome, Thomas and their team mates, currently on training camp in Mallorca, were last night briefed on the impending loss of their team.