Neel leaves AutoTrader.com
AutoTrader.com director Mike Neel announced Tuesday that he will be leaving his post with the country’s number two women’s racing team this Thursday and close out the year working with Italy’s Saeco men’s squad and “finishing up the details on a new project for 2002.” Neel told VeloNews that he will take up a new role with Saeco, acting as an assistant director for the team while it competes in the upcoming San Francisco Grand Prix and the 2001 BMC Tour of Houston. Saeco is sending an eight-man team to the U.S. including sprinting ace Mario Cipollini and American Justin Spinelli. Neel, the
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By VeloNews Interactive
AutoTrader.com director Mike Neel announced Tuesday that he will be leaving his post with the country’s number two women’s racing team this Thursday and close out the year working with Italy’s Saeco men’s squad and “finishing up the details on a new project for 2002.”
Neel told VeloNews that he will take up a new role with Saeco, acting as an assistant director for the team while it competes in the upcoming San Francisco Grand Prix and the 2001 BMC Tour of Houston.
Saeco is sending an eight-man team to the U.S. including sprinting ace Mario Cipollini and American Justin Spinelli. Neel, the former director of the Saeco women’s team, has been named acting director of the squad during its U.S. swing.
“AutoTrader has been great,” Neel said. “I’m just not sure what the picture is for next year and whether or not I would be a part of that. This is a good chance to wrap up the season doing something I enjoy while trying to get everything ready for next year.”
Neel declined to offer specifics about his plans for 2002.
Neel began his cycling career in the mid-1970s as one of the first Americans to compete in Europe, riding for the Italian Magniflex squad. He built a strong reputation as a team director as part of the 7-Eleven team and has since served as director for a number of men’s and women’s teams including Spago, Saeco-Timex and AutoTrader.