Canadian Cycling Team Symmetrics Shuts Down, for now...

by optic | September 24, 2008 at 08:16 am

173 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

I have to say I'm surprised by the fact that a new sponsor wasn't found for next year. Despite the current economic unrest this team has proven, both with local and international results, that it can bring positive exposure. Hopefully we'll see them back before too long.

Mark and Kevin Cunningham announced today that the Rusty Chain Projects Inc the management company that owns and operates the Symmetrics Cycling team will not be operating a professional cycling team in 2009. "We've been searching for a new title sponsor since Christmas. We've had some positive discussions and some near misses. But at this time we do not have the right partner in place to move forward with the team in 2009. We are continuing to search for a new title sponsor in hopes of reactivating the team 2010 and beyond. We let our riders know during the Tour of Missouri that we wouldn't put the team on the road next year." said Kevin Cunningham.

The Symmetrics Cycling Team has been the most successful cycling team in Canadian cycling history. In the past five years the team won twelve National Championships (Road and TT) - with a staggering 25 Championship medals, won more than 180 races and has been ranked in the top three teams in the UCI America Tour for the past three seasons. This year the team achieved one of its long-term goals of building Olympians-sending Svein Tuft and Zach Bell to the Olympics where they each had remarkable 7th place finishes. Symmetrics showed it wasn't just building Olympians, but built Olympians who were in the hunt for medals.

"We could put the team on the road again next year," Kevin Cunnigham added. "But we wouldn't be moving towards our long-term goals. It's better for us to stop the team while we search for the elusive title sponsor who is the right strategic fit."