Today, Roger Legeay, the long time patriarch of the French team, has revealed that his search for a replacement sponsor has not worked out according to plan. While Legeay hasn't completely given up yet, things are looking bleak for his team. Assuming that he can't find a replacement sponsor, several high profile stars will be free to sign with other teams.
Thor Hushovd, Simon Gerrans, Remi Pauriol and Mark Renshaw all will be free to sign with other teams. Hushovd is the biggest star of the group, as he is a top-flight sprinter and Tour de France green jersey contender. More importantly, he has never tested positive for doping or been implicated in any way. Would there be a better team for the Norwegian than the American Garmin-Chipotle team? He would be reunited with Julian Dean, his former lead out man at Credit Agricole, and would be considered the undisputed sprint leader on the up and coming team.
Simon Gerrans would fit in well with Silence-Lotto, as a replacement for fellow Aussie Robbie McEwen, who has already told his old team he'll be leaving at the end of the year. Pauriol will probably stay on French teams. Pauriol is a good young climber, and would be a nice addition to the AG2R team, who need a GC leader for the future. Renshaw could opt for Columbia, where he could lead out their various sprinters.
The news that the Credit Agricole team is on the verge of extinction is not good on any level. One of the longest running franchises in cycling, the team will be sorely missed if they do in fact disband. Hopefully Legeay's notification will bring someone out of the wood work as a new sponsor. Along with the Gerolsteiner team, Credit Agricole leaving the cycling world will make it that much harder for riders to find contracts in 2009 and beyond.
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