Game over for McCartney

Sciandri was battling to save the Linda McCartney team

The British-based Linda McCartney cycling team has been disbanded by founder Julian Clark.

In statements to website cyclingnews.com, team PR manager John Deering said: "Linda McCartney had only agreed to let us use the logo, name and signature to bring in other sponsors.

"They were not putting any cash in this year."

No new sponsors emerged, and it now seems the team has no future.

Deception

A Kent Police spokesman has stated that Clark will answer seven counts of deception of "a sporting nature" at Maidstone Crown Court on 2 February.

However it is not clear that these counts relate to the Linda McCartney team situation, and Deering believes Clark has done nothing wrong.

"I don't think that anything's been stolen. It's a case of a man saying that things have been done when they haven't, deals signed when they're not, money available when it isn't," said Deering.

He told us he was going to have a massive team, that he had all the money, but in fact there's nothing

  Co-owner Neil Stephens on Julian Clark

Members of the two-year-old team, founded by the late wife of the Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney, had earlier arrived in London in preparation for their 2001 press launch in Trafalgar Square on Friday - only to be told the future of the team was in the balance.

Coach Sean Yates and captain Max Sciandri, who won Olympic bronze in Atlanta in 1996, met with representatives of the food company in a desperate bid to secure the future of the team.

Co-owner Neil Stephens blamed the team's plight on Clark.

Stephens told the Guardian: "Clark deceived us.

"He told us he was going to have a massive team, that he had all the money, but in fact there's nothing.

"We've been meeting all evening, but it seems the team is going under."

Cyclists looking elsewhere

Linda McCartney Racing became the first British outfit to compete in the Giro d'Italia - one of the three Grand Tours along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana.

They had recently secured sponsorship deals with wine company Jacob's Creek and motor company Jaguar.

But team members like British national champion John Tanner, Olympic bronze medallist Bradley Wiggins and Australian David McKenzie will now have to look elsewhere for a ride.

Ironically, McKenzie won the team its first race victory in a stage in the Tour Down Under in Adelaide.