Saxo Bank CEO Lars Seier Christensen "urged the Tinkoff-Saxo cycling team to find a solution to the crisis," which has seen Danish Team Manager and former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis suspended, according to Philip O'Connor of REUTERS. Danish media reported on Sunday that the 50-year-old "had been suspended over poor team performances but Tinkoff-Saxo issued a statement on Tuesday saying that was not the reason." Saxo co-Founder Christensen "used Facebook to reassure fans Saxo would honor its sponsorship commitments and to call for Riis and Tinkoff to solve the current crisis." He wrote, "I obviously respect that as the owner of the team, Oleg (Tinkoff) is entitled to make the arrangements that he wants to, but I would also like to emphasize that Bjarne Riis' proven leadership is a significant driver behind Saxo Bank's sponsorship of the team throughout eight seasons. I have spoken with the parties involved and my assessment of the situation is that I find no reason why this matter cannot be resolved under amicable conditions if the desire is there." Christensen "offered to mediate if necessary." Tinkoff-Saxo leader Alberto Contador said on the sidelines of the Tour of Catalonia on Tuesday that "he did not know anything more about the Riis situation than was in the team’s statement." Contador: "Above all we want to know what is really going on ... and I think we need to know why this decision was taken" (REUTERS, 3/25).
