The news was greeted with satisfaction in Italian cycling: The Segafredo-Zanetti company, known worldwide for its coffee brand, has become the second name sponsor of the US pro team Trek. The contract runs for three years. This was announced by the company at its headquarters in Villorba near Treviso. Following the withdrawal of cycling sponsors Mapei, Fassa Bortolo and Liquigas, Lampre-Merida was the last top team with an Italian sponsor in professional cycling.
Company founder Massimo Zanetti said at the presentation of the Trek-Segafredo team that he had already been inspired by Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali's performances at the Giro d'Italia as a child: "Since then, I have always said to myself: sooner or later, I will get involved in cycling as a sponsor." According to Handelsblatt, the value of the Italian company was estimated at around half a billion euros before the IPO in May 2015. Segafredo had previously been involved as a sponsor in golf and motorsport.
Team Principal Luca Guercilena emphasised: "The scope of this contract and the security it gives us makes it possible for us to invest even more in our squad and develop young racing drivers." There will be no major personnel changes at the racing team for the time being: The top star remains Fabian Cancellara, who says 2016 will be his last season as a professional cyclist. After the spring classics Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, he is also planning to start at the Giro d'Italia. The four-time time trial world champion wants to take the pink jersey in the prologue of the race. It would be the Swiss rider's third Giro start after 2007 and 2009. Cancellara did not want to reveal anything more specific about his plans for the rest of the season at the presentation. The Tour de France will presumably be a second highlight of the season - the 16th stage of which leads to Cancellara's home town of Bern. The 2008 Olympic time trial champion has also not yet announced when exactly he will compete in his last cycling race.
Following the departure of the Swiss rider, a major reorganisation of the team is on the cards. According to its Vice President Joe Vadeboncoeur, Trek also wants to apply for a team licence for the years 2017 to 2019. In future, the Cycling World Federation wants to award all licences for teams and race organisers for three years. Other top performers of the racing team currently include Bauke Mollema (seventh in the 2015 Tour de France), Italian sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo and Luxembourg's Fränk Schleck.
