'Bottomless mimosas & gift baskets for stage winners': American company offers to 'step in' and sponsor Team Sky

I'm not sure Dave Brailsford will be giving Ritte Bicycles a call back

Froome is guided back to the peloton by his team-mates after a mechanical on stage five of the Tour de France (Sunada)

(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)

The news that Team Sky will not be continuing in their current form after the 2019 season after Sky pulled their funding, doesn't seem to have been taken as seriously by some as others.

American bike company Ritte Bicycles have trolled the British WorldTour team with - what we assume to be - a mock sponsorship proposal.

Posted on the brand's Facebook page the Californian company 'offered' a number of incentives for title sponsorship.

>>>'Sky wouldn't remain a winning team on a lower budget', says Jonathan Vaughters

Some of the cycling related offers include, "Free really nice-looking Ritte Ace road bikes for every rider' and 'Free clip-on aerobars and NOS Spinenergy RevX wheels for time trials."

There are some teasing offers in this open letter

However, the taunt of '"Totally legit salbutamol prescriptions for every rider" may not be seen favourable given the turmoil Chris Froome has been through over the past year.

>>> Sir Dave Brailsford ‘can’t give any guarantees’ but sees opportunities for Team Sky future

But the offer of bottomless mimosas and gift baskets for tour stage winners are an incentive us at Cycling Weekly can get behind.

The chances of seeing Geraint Thomas lining up at the Tour de France in Ritte Bicycles jerseys is highly unlikely despite the offer on the table, as the British team look to fill the mammoth £35 million budget Sky will be leaving behind.

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Paul Knott is a fitness and features writer, who has also presented Cycling Weekly videos as well as contributing to the print magazine as well as online articles.  In 2020 he published his first book, The Official Tour de France Road Cycling Training Guide (Welbeck), a guide designed to help readers improve their cycling performance via cherrypicking from the strategies adopted by the pros.