Scott becomes Tour de France team sponsor

Thu, 24/07/2008 - 09:20

Marketing | Cycling | Sponsorship

Bike manufacturer Scott, the second sponsor of the Saunier Duval professional cycling team has said that it will step in to rescue the Spanish outfit after the German heating technology firm announced on Wednesday that it was pulling its sponsorship with immediate effect.

Scott, which has supplied the team's bikes said it would provide financial support to the team for the rest of the season, after Saunier Duval withdrew its support in the wake of the drug scandal that engulfed its team at the Tour de France.

In a statement to the press, Scott said: “The team will be called Scott, unless a new title sponsor comes in. After that we're sure the team will find a new title sponsor."

It added that it was "convinced that the recent events which damaged the team's reputation at the Tour de France were caused by individuals” and that the company "see this as an opportunity to multiply our efforts to fight against doping. In the future our own anti-doping program will be far stricter."

Saunier Duval is the second company to withdraw its sponsorship of a Tour de France team. The first was Barloworld, which acted after Moises Duenas tested positive for the banned blood booster on stage four.

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