UnitedHealthcare has sponsored the Pro Cycling squad since ’09GETTY IMAGES
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team appears ready to "fold at the end of the season,” which is a “big blow” to U.S. cycling, according to Global Cycling Network’s Dan Lloyd. UnitedHealthcare has “sponsored that squad” since ’09, while the team has been around since ’03. Riders Gavin Mannion and Travis McCabe should “find jobs elsewhere,” and rider Katie Hall reportedly has "already signed with Boels-Dolmans for next year and beyond.” However, for the “rest of the riders and staff, it’s a horrible situation to be in.” It is “exactly the same situation” facing the riders and staff of the Jelly Belly powered by Maxxis team. Jelly Belly is “set to end their sponsorship at the end of this year” after 19 years as the main sponsor. That jersey and name "will be dearly missed.” There does not “seem to be any new sponsors particularly interested in stepping into the shoes of Jelly Belly or UnitedHealthcare, and that is going to be a big blow for the U.S. domestic scene” (“GCN Racing News,” YOUTUBE.com, 8/20).
