German appliance brand Bora has signed on as a sponsor of compatriot cycling team Argon 18, which is set to compete in the 2015 Tour de France. The team, which will ride under a German license, will be known as Bora-Argon 18, having previously competed under the moniker NetApp-Endura.
The team’s sporting director Ralph Denk said Bora-Argon 18 had high hopes for the upcoming Grand Tour.
“It is a dream come true,” Denk said. “A return to the Tour de France was our primary goal for this season. It was ambitious, but we have achieved it. I would like to thank ASO (organisers of the Tour de France) for the early announcement of the invitation, because we now have six months to prepare our team optimally.
“We are stronger now that we have been joined by Dominik Nerz, currently Germany’s best classification rider. With Dominik we intend to compete for a top 10 position in the General Classification and thus give German fans the opportunity to get excited even during the mountain stages. We can already promise that our team will make quite an impact at this year’s Tour de France too.”
Australian cyclist Zak Dempster is currently signed to Bora-Argon 18, adding a touch of local flavour to the race.
The 2015 Tour de France begins in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, on 4 July 2015 and continues through until Paris finish on 26 July 2015.
This author is on Twitter: @Patrickavenell