This was news to me, that Rihs is still in cycling big time , and with guess who.....?
After all he's been through, he's still amazed and alarmed!!! He sure knows how to pick 'em.
After all he's been through, he's still amazed and alarmed!!! He sure knows how to pick 'em.
Swiss racing bike manufacturer BMC is considering its future with Astana after team leader Alexandre Vinokourov's positive dope test for blood doping during this year's Tour de France, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
Andy Rihs, BMC's owner, said he was "amazed and alarmed" at hearing of Vinokourov's positive testwhich came after his stage win on Saturday.
"We do not want anything to do with doping," added BMC sponsorship coordinator, Andreas Georgiadis. BMC posted this statement on its website Wednesday:
"BMC is closely monitoring the developments in the ASTANA case and in general in professional road racing. At the same time BMC is maintaining all other sponsorship activities. The economic effects on the business development are expected to be minor due to the strength of the BMC product range.
It was with dismay and disappointment that the BMC staff heard through the press that Alexander Vinokourov had tested positive for blood doping after last Saturday's victory in the Tour de France time trial stage. As a consequence ASTANA has withdrawn from the Tour and Vinokourov has been suspended. Due to the dominant role held by Vinokourov in the Swiss/Kazakh team, its future existence is uncertain.
BMC is carefully monitoring the developments concerning both ASTANA and the road racing scene. At the same time BMC is adamant about maintaining its other sponsorships in road racing, mountain biking and triathlon. BMC is not about to abandon the relationships that have been built up over the years based on trust, with the numerous teams and individual athletes who strive to achieve their potential with fair means day after day. Our ambition in sports sponsorship is to give the BMC athletes the best equipment to achieve their success. Additionally the constant dialogue with the athletes gives us valuable feedback for the developmentof innovative product concepts and helps us to continually optimise our existing models.
BMC's experience from recent events shows that doping is not directly connected with cycle products. The product range speaks for itself. BMC has experienced rapid development since 2001, with double figure growth since 2004."
Rihs, the Swiss business man who bought BMC in 2000, is also the majority shareholder of the Phonak group, who sponsored the Phonak cycling team from 2002 to 2006 before Rihs disbanded the team following the revelation that team leader and 2006 Tour winner Floyd Landis had tested positive for high levels of testosterone.
