Cannondale-Drapac attempt to fight back in Vuelta after sponsorship blow

Cannondale-Drapac have put on a brave face to what riders and staff called a huge blow after it was officially announced on Saturday that the team’s future is on hold.

Ahead of stage 9 of the Vuelta a Espana, the riders and team staff did their business as usual, holding the standard team meeting but there was no avoiding the issue of what will happen to the team in 2018 and beyond.

It was widely pointed out that this is not just a question for the team’s riders, but also for the management, which Cyclingnews was told has around 100 full-time employees, from riders to staff.

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Michael Woods revealed to a small group of reporters at the team bus that he knew that the team’s future was in jeopardy on Friday and that it had affected his performance, but that he was determined to battle on and try and secure a good result.

“It’s a total bummer but it’s not over yet. Jonathan Vaughters and the Slipstream Sports management are still working on getting sponsors,” Woods, the team’s best placed GC rider, said.

“So it’s not a done deal at all. I found out the news on Friday and it resulted in a bit of a sleepless night and even me making some pretty bad tactical decisions yesterday. I got excited and wanted a result so bad for the team that I got anxious on the climb and attacked a bit too early with [Alberto] Contador (Trek-Segafredo) and then blew up.”

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