If the Unibet.com situation wasn't already a mess, let's just say that it has officially fallen off the ugly tree and has hit every branch on the way down. The most recent news has the Amaury Sports Organization (ASO), organizers of the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix among others, denying the team entry into Paris-Roubaix.
Even though the team had taken steps to comply with a squirrely French law that does not allow teams to advertise or be sponsored by gambling sites, by deciding to ride under one of their lesser sponsors, Canyon bikes, they still weren't chosen.
Let's face it, Unibet has become a bigger pawn than Alex Karras' Mongo in Blazing Saddles. At this point, it would only be appropriate for the UCI to give back this Pro Tour team's membership fees (around 32 million Euros). Although Unibet certainly has the talent to compete with the elite of cycling, it doesn't even have the stature of a Continental team in the eyes of the three Grand Tour organizers.
Even though the team had taken steps to comply with a squirrely French law that does not allow teams to advertise or be sponsored by gambling sites, by deciding to ride under one of their lesser sponsors, Canyon bikes, they still weren't chosen.
Let's face it, Unibet has become a bigger pawn than Alex Karras' Mongo in Blazing Saddles. At this point, it would only be appropriate for the UCI to give back this Pro Tour team's membership fees (around 32 million Euros). Although Unibet certainly has the talent to compete with the elite of cycling, it doesn't even have the stature of a Continental team in the eyes of the three Grand Tour organizers.
The "Real" Power Brokers of Pro Cycling?Photo: AFP
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