Belkin exit leaves ProTour team on hunt for new main sponsor

UCI ProTour cycling outfit Team Belkin is on the lookout for a new title sponsor after American consumer electronics company Belkin announced it would not extend its deal beyond the 2014 season.

Belkin undertook title sponsorship of the Netherlands-based team ahead of last year’s Tour de France, replacing Rabobank after the Dutch financial services company announced its withdrawal from cycling at the end of 2012.

Belkin entered into the partnership with the aim of increasing brand awareness and subsequently sales, but a change in company strategy to a global focus on Belkin International brands – Belkin, WeMo and Linksys – has led to the decision to withdraw.

“It is unfortunate that this new collaboration is not going to be extended,” Richard Plugge, managing director of the Belkin Pro Cycling team, said. “With the motto #ridethefuture we have generated a lot of goodwill over the past year, in an environment that is still critically observed. Our innovative method and forward-looking team philosophy has brought the sport back where it belongs, with fans and stakeholders.”

He continued: “We will now start an intensive search for a new sponsor to be able to continue the journey that we started. We have full confidence in the future and expect to appear with a new sponsor on the shirt at the start of the 2015 season. We are a Dutch pro cycling team with an international image and World Tour status, therefore we expect to find a new title sponsor. We were already in conversation with additional sponsors and still have sponsorship opportunities open for the upcoming Tour de France.”

Belkin is set to assist the team in its search for a new main sponsor.