New Colombia-backed Team Sky very unlikely, says Dave Brailsford
(Cyclingnews.com)

According to a report in Marca, Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford has told Colombian journalists that any agreement between him and a Colombian backer for 2020 is `very unlikely`. Team Sky will lose their major sponsor at the end of this season, with rumours swirling at the recent Tour Colombia 2.1 stage race - which Brailsford attended - that Colombian oil and gas company Ecopetrol could be a potential new backer for the team next year. Brailsford also met with Colombian president Ivan Duque and Coldeportes [sports ministry] director Ernesto Lucena - allegedly to discuss the possibility of Colombia establishing its first WorldTour team, with Pro Continental-level team Manzana Postobon having already taken part in the 2017 Vuelta a España.ADVERTISEMENT However, as things stand - and despite Brailsford`s enthusiasm for the South American country and in turn its enthusiasm for cycling - the search for a new main backer for the team that`s home to four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome and 2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas still continues. `I`m open to anything. Give me a call,` Brailsford told journalists. According to a recent report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, the state-backed Ecopetrol could have led a consortium of sponsors to take over Team Sky`s sponsorship, and the company has close links to the Coldeportes sports ministry, having recently backed a strategy by President Duque to promote sport in Colombia. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com