There’s a whole lot going on at CANYON//SRAM right now. And there are plenty of questions without answers.
On Friday, the Women’s WorldTour team confirmed it had officially terminated its partnership with zondacrypto “effective immediately,”. The release cited breaches of contract. The move amid growing speculation that the squad could soon lose one of its biggest stars too.
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney is reportedly close to joining Ava and Isabella Holmgren Lidl-Trek, according to journalist Daniel Benson. Apparently the Polish champ will sign a three-year contract.
The timing is definitely interesting. And the latest news certainly adds to this ongoing drama.
Niewiadoma-Phinney had originally been expected to race the Giro d’Italia Women, which begins Friday. (There are eight Canadians racing there, btw.)
The Giro news
But she was suddenly removed from the start list without explanation from the team. That, as you can imagine, has only added fuel to the rumours, given some of the other things going on with the team.
In a statement released Friday, team manager Ronny Lauke said the team had “drawn a line and moved forward” following the contract termination. Lauke didn’t mention the exact breaches of the agreement with zondacrypto, however.
“Over many years, we have built a strong organization backed by visionary partners, experienced staff and talented riders who all believe in what this team stands for,” Lauke said.
The team said branding changes across kit and equipment are already underway and are expected to be completed by Aug. 1. On paper, effective immediately, both squads will race simply as CANYON//SRAM and the feeder team as CANYON//SRAM Generation. The team is home to several other big names in women’s cycling, including Zoe Bäckstedt, Chloé Dygert and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig.
The sponsorship situation surrounding zondacrypto has attracted, well, just a wee bit of controversy in recent months. Reports in Poland have linked figures connected to the cryptocurrency company to political scandals and alleged ties to questionable investment networks.
Whether any of that is directly influencing Niewiadoma-Phinney’s reported departure remains unclear. It’s also quite unusual for any sort of mid-season transfer for pro cyclists. The Polish rider has not commented on the rumours.
The Tour de France Femmes is coming up soon, too. So you’d think that any sort of move would…
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