The Polish pro continental team CCC Polsat wants to join the WorldTour before the start of the 2018 season. With this goal in mind, Piotr Wadecki's team has decided to work together with an Italian professional advertising agency that will help the team in PR issues during the next five years.
The new team of Stefan Schumacher who is moving from the Danish team Christina Watches to Poland, will get advice from Max.Com Sport Management. With this cooperation, the management hope that the pro continental team will be known worldwide and thus attract potential new sponsors and donors.
Catasca Massimiliano, the owner of the sports agency, assumes that CCC Polsat will already be in the Champions League of cycling in 2016 but Wadecki has different stance. The ex-pro who also works for the Polish national team, aims at 2018 as the year to join the elite ranks.
Before then, all financial matters need to be resolved, the image and the international recognition have to be improved and the roster needs to be filled with top-class racers. The first step in this direction was taken two years ago when CCC signed Davide Rebellin.
Despite being 43 years of age, Rebellin is still very strong and has no plans to end his career. Recently, he won the Giro dell'Emilia. Schumacher who is 10 years younger again wants to do bigger races and return to the first division.
The team is likely to be strengthened by the signing of Grega Bole of (Vini Fantini) who already has experience in the World Tour. Among many victories, the Slovenian won a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné (2010) and the one-day race GP Ouest France-Plouay (2011).
But the team management will also focus on the youth. Almost half of the team shall consist of domestic U23 riders. Wadecki secured the services of Michał Paluta (TKK Pacific Toruń), Eryk Latoń (BDC Marcpol), Jakub Kaczmarek and the current under-23 champion Piotr Brożyna (both from Spanish Amateur Club Telcom Gimex). The team will also announce new signings. Due to these reinforcements, many riders from this year's team will have to leave the squad.
With a mix of young and old, talent and experience, CCC will apply for a Giro d'Italia wildcard in 2015 or 2016. Their chances are not bad. With THE advertising agency in their back and good contacts with the Italian organizers and a new co-sponsor, the grand tour dream can come true already next year.
From 2015, the team will be supported by the sports shoe manufacturer Sprandi which was bought by CCC. Thus, the team will get its budget basically from the same source. On the other hand, it remains uncertain what role the private television station Polsat who has sponsored the team from the town of Polkowice for several years, will be playing.
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