Libertine Seguros said:
I think they're thinking that GreenEdge, because they haven't announced sponsors yet, just guarantees (which is exactly what Pegasus did), seem like they may be in a similar boat - they need to have the WT position to guarantee the sponsors, and they need the sponsors' money to guarantee the riders that will give them the points to go WT.
Therefore they need to announce some names with points soon as a statement of intent to tell sponsors they are serious about this (and also entice other big names to ride, as if they only announce some half decent domestiques and over-the-hill Aussies they may find it hard to attract riders of satisfactory status to get that WT position), plus sponsors may be forthcoming with more money if the team looks like being good.
Pegasus had no philanthropic backer. Chris White is not a billionaire, he was relying on a sponsor. That sponsor, who was supposedly Mr. Mateschitz, got nervous at the start of October and pulled his support.
The Ryan family is backing Green Edge to tune of 10-20 million a year for three years, this has been confirmed since January. I cannot envisage a scenario where Ryan withdraws from this arrangement. It would dent his reputation, and it doesn't make sense, when this is his endgame - it's not just the direct financial commitment to the team, but millions of dollars over decades of supporting cycling.
Green Edge have stated that they are not interested in securing a title sponsor just yet
[Edit: Although a quote from Ryan's comments yesterdays seem to dispute this?], that the idea is to establish the team first and then start looking for sponsors for real some time in the next couple of years. Now I'm sure if someone knocked on their door with a good offer tomorrow they may accept it, but it is not crucial to the medium-term future of the team.
But, there is still maybe a problem of international signings being worried about an Australian start-up after last year's debacle. None of the Australians would be concerned, given the people who are involved, they would be completely comfortable with this getting off the ground. Maybe the internationals will want the supposed risk factored into their wages.