CCC Team have agreed to sell their WorldTour licence to Belgian ProTeam Circus-Wanty Gobert.
Polish WorldTour outfit CCC Team have been on the hunt for a new sponsor as their main sponsor will pull out at the end of the season, because of the financial strains caused by coronavirus.
While team boss Jim Ochowicz has been on the hunt for a new backer to save the team, the squad have instead agreed to sell their licence to help Circus-Wanty reach the WorldTour for the first time.
Ochowicz, co-owner of CCC Team's holding company Continuum Sports, said: “2020 has not been the year that any of us expected but we are motivated to finish the season as CCC Team on a high. Looking ahead, 2021 will see a new direction for the Continuum Sports organisation and we are happy to be paving the way for Circus-Wanty Gobert to move to the WorldTour in what is a significant milestone for the Belgian team and a well deserved promotion.”
He added: “Since the inception of Continuum Sports in 2007, we have made our mark on the cycling world with BMC Racing Team and CCC Team and we are well positioned to assist Circus-Wanty Gobert in this transition to the WorldTour. With ambitious long-term goals and a shared vision, we believe Circus-Wanty Gobert, under the leadership of Jean-François Bourlart, is an ideal fit to carry on the Continuum Sports legacy and we are in a position to support their efforts where needed.”
Circus-Wanty Gobert is owned by umbrella company Want You Cycling, which will take over Continuum Sports from 2021.
Launched in 2001 as the Vc Ath Club, Circus-Wanty has climbed to the ranks, becoming Professional Continental in 2011.
CCC Team raced as BMC Racing before the death of their main benefactor Andy Rihs in 2018, with Polish handbag company CCC coming on-board as the main sponsor for 2019.
But due to the financial impact of the global pandemic, CCC will be pulling out, forcing Ochowicz to find an alternative as star riders Greg Van Averment and Matteo Trentin both jumped ship to join other teams for 2021.
The sale will need to be ratified by the UCI License Commission in December.
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General manager of Want You Cycling, Jean-François Bourlart, said: “With the co-founders of Want You Cycling, Benoit Soenen, Christophe Wanty, Ronald Gobert and David Sauvage, we built our project step-by-step with the ambition to one day move to the WorldTour. The moment had to be right, the structure had to be ready, and our partners eager to follow us. We are therefore very proud today to take over the project from Jim Ochowicz and Gavin Chilcott and present to the UCI the continuation of Continuum Sports in the WorldTour.
“With the long experience of Jim Ochowicz and Gavin Chilcott, we will do everything possible to ensure the sustainability of our WorldTour project. I have no doubts that our team will become a success in the WorldTour, as it has at the Professional Continental level over the years, and as BMC Racing Team and CCC Team have too."
