The end of the 2016 season has arrived, and the record for the IAM Cycling team is quite extraordinary. They succeeded in capturing stage wins at the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de Suisse, and two stages at the Vuelta a España! Nevertheless, the team did not succeed in finding a co-sponsor. Consequently it will not be continuing in the professional peloton into 2017, which would have been its fifth year. Michel Thétaz, founder of IAM and the eponymous Swiss cycling team, announced that it would disband at the end of the season on May 23rd, which was the second rest day of the Giro d'Italia.

The moment has come for Michel Thétaz to talk about the future, but not without reflecting on his involvement and investment in the world of professional cycling.

“First of all, I would like to thank everyone who came from fifteen countries, all of whom worked for the same purpose, with the same vision and enthusiasm, which never wavered even in the final stretch. It was an extraordinary human and sporting adventure, and presented a unique opportunity to spread our brand values at the highest level.”

The team was in fact the perfect ambassador for IAM and its range of IAMFUNDS.CH investment funds, which are now known not only in Switzerland, but around the world as well.

IAM Cycling has also offered a new impetus to the youth of Swiss cycling, giving them a leg up in their efforts to prove their talents in the coming years. On the strength of the team’s results in 2016, “the IAM Cycling adventure continues... but in different forms.” In fact, IAM will work along with the IAM Cycling structure to support various cycling events that will include the IAM Champex Challenge. That is an event that has already taken root, and will complement the partnership with “Give it all - Cycling for Children”, which is an initiative established by UNICEF at Crans-Montana, in the heart of the Swiss Alps.

Since the team started in January 2013, the Swiss squad, which earned its place in the WorldTour, did so in a manner that testified to the truth that with the strength of discipline, patience, and vision, one can succeed without cheating or cutting corners.