Former Rabobank manager Erik Breukink says he will find out if the Pro Continental team he is trying to put together with Michael Boogerd, Jean-Paul van Poppel and Michael Ziljaard will be on the startline in 2015.
Speaking to Cyclingnews, Breukink says he is "hopeful of a positive outcome" for the Orange Cycling Team, which would become the only Dutch team registered at that level.
"We've been talking to sponsors with a view to getting a final answer at the end of this month or in early July," said Breukink. "It is always difficult to find sponsors and, of course, that’s our first priority, but I'm hopeful of a positive outcome.”
Breukink says that between himself, ex rider Boogerd, van Poppel (an ex-DS at Cérvelo and Vaconsoleil and father or Trek duo Boy and Danny) and Ziljaard (an agent), they have the contacts and experience to get the team going.
“We’re all working hard on this, sharing out the tasks between us, and we’re getting a lot of good feedback.
"There is currently no Dutch team at the Pro Continental level so there's a gap between those in the WorldTour and the Continental outfits. Having a team in the middle that would be focused very much around home-grown talent would be good for Dutch riders."
The budget for the team is expected to be around 3 to 3.5 million euros, with up to 20 riders joining should the team get the go ahead to start up.
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