The future of the Milram team looks secure after main sponsor Nordmilch indicated they would continue their financial backing of the team.

"I don't see why we shouldn't continue," Nordmilch boss Martin Mischel told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The current sponsorship contract runs until 2009, though it had been rumoured they would pull out after the team had been rocked by accusations made by Joerg Jaksche that he had been introduced to doping by Milram general manager Gianluigi Stanga, and main sprinter Alessandro Petacchi was then banned from riding in the Tour de France after it was found he had excessive levels of Salbutamol in his blood.

Stanga, the holder of the ProTour licence, is now set to be replaced as team boss by Gerry van Gerwen.

Eurosport