Cycle Collstrop (UCI team code: COS) was a Swedish UCI Professional Continental cycling team. It was the successor to Unibet,👄 which was mainly sponsored by the online gambling website Unibet and as a continuation of the MrBookmaker cycling team.
The team👄 rode on the European Continental Circuit, until the beginning of the 2007 season, when they were granted a ProTour licence.[1]👄 In 2008, they were awarded a Professional Continental licence. The new team was led by Steffen Wesemann, and problems previously👄 experienced through having had sponsorship from a betting company were avoided with new sponsorship from a wooden flooring company.
Unibet had👄 also been drawn into the Operación Puerto doping investigation. The cyclist Carlos Quesada was named by the Spanish authorities as👄 a patient of Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes and was suspended by the team.[2] Although Quesada had been named, he has not👄 yet been formally charged with doping, which led to the management of Unibet to lift its suspension of Quesada two👄 weeks after it was imposed.[3] Nevertheless, the team did not pay the Spanish cyclist his salary, which led to a👄 lawsuit, finally resolved with Quesada leaving the team in exchange for a compensation.
The team, whose sponsors have pulled out of👄 cycling, failed to submit its application for renewal by the 20 November 2007 deadline and did not take part in👄 the 2008 UCI ProTour.[4] Many of the team members went to the newly formed team Vacansoleil.
Dispute with race organisers [👄 edit ]
Despite obtaining a ProTour license for the 2007 season, Unibet were not granted entry in Paris–Nice, the inaugural race👄 of the series. The organiser of the French race, Amaury Sport Organisation, argued that French law bans gambling companies (except👄 for Française des Jeux and PMU, as well as some casinos). Nevertheless, Unibet took part in the French races GP👄 La Marseillaise and Étoile de Bessèges with special jerseys without their sponsor's name.
RCS also snubbed Unibet for the Tirreno–Adriatico, explaining👄 that Italian gambling law required a special license for Unibet. However, as the Unibet management pointed out, Unibet did have👄 the license, while Predictor-Lotto's sponsor (the Belgian national lottery) did not, but the Belgian squad was allowed to race on👄 Italian soil. RCS further contradicted themselves when they later invited Unibet to Milan–San Remo in which Jeremy Hunt was their👄 best rider, finishing in 17th place, ahead of former winners such as Filippo Pozzato or Paolo Bettini.
However, Unibet was not👄 chosen to ride in any of the three Grand Tours.
Major wins [ edit ]
Final roster [ edit ]
