Elite cycling has been growing strongly in the United States, with RadioShack, Garmin, HTC-High Road and BMC Racing four of 18 (elite) outfits for the 2011 season, but the sport's officials fear the (scandals) could drive away sponsors.
"With cycling's degraded image because of doping and the (financial) crisis, it's getting more and more difficult. The future is very (uncertain)," Caisse d'Epargne team manager Francis Lafargue told Reuters during the Tour.