End of the Road for Leopard Tour as the Danish Cycling Team Disbands After Failed ProTeam Bid

In the ever-evolving world of professional cycling, teams often face challenging crossroads. They have to make crucial decisions that can shape their future. For Leopard TOGT Pro Cycling, 2023 marked the end of a remarkable 13-year journey. The Danish team, based on Luxembourg unfortunately made the difficult decision to disband.

For a long time now, they made a desperate attempt to advance to the prestigious UCI ProTeam Level. In an effort to achieve this goal, they made several relentless efforts to secure additional funding but ultimately failed to do so.

A Hopeful Ascent and Unfulfilled Dreams

Leopard TOGT had set its sights on the ProTeam level for the 2024 season. The team’s riders had achieved some notable victories in 2023. This included the Olympias Tour and Circuit des Ardennes, thanks to Mathias Bregnhøj’s exceptional performances.

These triumphs showcased the squad’s potential and made the prospect of elevation to the ProTeam category even more tantalizing. However, despite their successes, Leopard TOGT found itself unable to secure the necessary sponsorship to make the leap.

Team CEO Mogens Tveskov later lamented on the failure. “We had great hopes of finding a third big sponsor, possibly from Denmark. Since the sport of cycling has grown here a lot after the Tour de France Grand Départ in Copenhagen, and of course, the two Danish Tour de France wins of Jonas Vingegaard.”

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Ultimately, the lack of funds left the team with no choice but to bid farewell to the world of cycling. This marks an end to their 12-year legacy and a bittersweet conclusion to the promising merger with the Danish Riwal squad at the start of the season.

The Legacy of Leopard TOGT: A Remarkable Journey

Leopard TOGT’s story began in 2011. A visionary real estate magnate from Luxembourg, Flavio Becca, enlisted the expertise of Danish press officer Brian Nygaard, to launch a new professional cycling team. Despite Saxo Bank’s uncertain future, Leopard TOGT assembled an impressive roster of riders.

This roster also included luminaries like Andy and Fränk Schleck, Fabian Cancellara, Stuart O’Grady, and Jens Voigt. Under the management of Leopard SA, Nygaard led the team in 2011.

In 2012, Leopard TOGT merged with the RadioShack team. However, before the season began, Brian Nygaard departed, leaving the team in pursuit of its destiny. The subsequent sale of the team’s world license to Trek in 2014 paved the way for the transformation into what is now Lidl-Trek, a prominent team in the professional cycling circuit.

While the organization reached great heights in the World Tour, it also ventured into nurturing future talents by launching the Leopard Continental team in 2012. This development team played a crucial role in the development of young riders and contributed to the sport’s growth.

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