Cycling: As the second largest bicycle manufacturer in Taiwan, Merida joined Team Lampre as a co-sponsor in 2013 and initially signed a three-year contract up to and including 2015. The early contract extension to 2016 has now been announced.
With the entry of Merida as a co-sponsor of the traditional Italian racing team Lampre, things went uphill for the team. With a new squad, which was designed to be significantly more international, they were able to win 13 victories in the first year. With the signing of Rui Costa in late summer 2013, the team scored a big coup. Costa was able to win his third Tour de Suisse this season and was the figurehead of the team. Merida is now extending the contract early and is hoping for more successful years.
As Vice President of Merida, William Yeng is pleased to make the following announcement: "The cooperation with the team management around owner Giuseppe Saronni and team manager Brent Copeland as well as with the Galbusera family (the owners of the building materials group Lampre) is excellent. For Merida, the feedback from the team and riders has been of the utmost value to further improve our road bikes. Our company has ventured into the WorldTour with the Lampre Merida team, and after two years the first conclusion of the cooperation can only be positive all round. The team has improved in terms of sport and the squad has gradually become more international. It is also with great pleasure that we can announce that Team Lampre Merida will have two riders from Asia in its ranks from the coming season: After the Chinese Xu Gang, CK Feng will join the team for the 2015 season. He will be the first professional cyclist from Taiwan to compete in the WorldTour, the premier league of professional cycling. Based on all of these encouraging developments, Merida has decided to extend the existing co-sponsorship agreement early until the end of the 2016 season.”
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