'I did it for my family's future' - Colnago founder explains WorldTour deal with TJ Sports-Lampre

Ernesto Colnago, the 84-year-old founder of the Colnago bike brand, says he signed a deal with TJ Sport-Lampre to keep his family business going

Ernesto Colnago says that he is sponsoring the new Chinese TJ Sport-Lampre team with his bicycles next year as a way to continue his family business.

Italian team Lampre-Merida turns Chinese next year with its primary sponsor and its expected WorldTour licence registered in China. Ben Swift was the first to join the team, with most of its riders continuing from this year's team.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.