Swiss team IAM Cycling to leave sport at end of 2016 season
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 23/05/16 2:52pm
WorldTour team IAM Cycling will fold at the end of the 2016 season, owner Michel Thetaz has confirmed.
The Swiss-based team, which moved up to WorldTour level in 2015, have failed to find a co-sponsor, with Thetaz unwilling to drop back down to Pro Continental where they started life in 2013.
Their departure means at least two WorldTour vacancies will come up at the end of the season, with Tinkoff also withdrawing from the sport.
IAM Cycling's demise will mean more than 25 riders looking for a new team for 2017, including Italian sprinter Matteo Pelucchi and leading time-trial riders Matthias Brandle and Jerome Coppel.
"IAM Cycling will cease operations at the end of the 2016 season. This is a failure for which I take full responsibility," Thetaz said in a team statement.
"In these four years of intense activity, which have been marked by unforgettable memories, IAM has enhanced its credibility and received enviable visibility.
"We have arrived at a key moment in the team's evolution with the prospect of entering a new three-year cycle; however, that proved to be an impossible undertaking for IAM Cycling since we have failed to find a co-sponsor.
"Of course, I regret this situation, but I prefer to rejoice in what we have accomplished over the past four years."
