UCI World Tour cycling squad Team Belkin has secured its long-term future with the Dutch national lottery and retail company BrandLoyalty set to agree deals to sponsor the team, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
Under the terms of the deal, the Lotto will reportedly assume the majority of the funding needed for the team from the 2015 season, with BrandLoyalty involved as a secondary sponsor.
American consumer electronics company Belkin last month announced it would not extend its current title sponsorship deal with the team beyond the 2014 season. Its sponsorship began ahead of last year’s Tour de France, with the firm replacing Rabobank after the Dutch financial services company announced its withdrawal from cycling at the end of 2012.
Final terms have yet to be agreed on the new partnership, but Team Belkin manager Richard Plugge told De Telegraaf: “We are working on the last details. We were already working on this plan before we knew Belkin would end their sponsorship but it became more concrete in June. When the contracts have been signed, and it looks very promising, this will be great news for the team and for Dutch cycling.”
BrandLoyalty is also a major sponsor of the Dutch speed skating team and founder Robert van der Wallen said the cycling team would be marketed alongside its current partner. “We are going to combine the cycling and speed skating team in terms of logistics but also in terms of sports aspects,” he added. “You can see it as two teams but with one look and feel.”
State lotteries have a major presence in cycling with Team Belkin’s World Tour compatriots Lotto-Belisol and FDJ.fr sponsored by the national lotteries of Belgium and France respectively.