Rumours of turbulence at B&B Hotels - KTM team and Cavendish's signing still up in the air

The future of the French team is up in the air after the cancellation of the official presentation of the team, scheduled for Wednesday 26 October, at which the signing of British rider Mark Cavendish and the team's new sponsors were to be announced.

No news from B&B Hotels - KTM after cancelling the team presentation

Experience in the world of cycling tells us that there is nothing good behind these things when they happen but the silence within the French B&B Hotels - KTM squad and the cancellation of the official presentation that was scheduled for today has unleashed all the rumours surrounding the team.

A squad that had been on everyone's lips for the last few weeks as it was supposed to be Mark Cavendish's destination after ending his relationship with QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl, a process accelerated by the disagreements between the Isle of Man cyclist and the Belgian general manager, Patrick Lefevere, after not having Cavendish in the team that competed in the Tour de France and in which he could have beaten Eddy Mercks' record of victories in the French race.

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Cavendish has been offered several destinations during these months but the one that sounded the strongest was the B&B Hotels - KTM team despite the denials from inside the team that referred to the official presentation that should have taken place today.

A totally unexpected situation that is in line with the constant rumours that have accompanied the French team since the end of the Tour de France, after which there was speculation about the incorporation of the city of Paris as a sponsor with a view to the celebration of the Olympic Games. It was also mentioned the possible entry among the list of sponsors of firms such as Carrefour or Amazon.

However, according to yesterday's report in L'Equipe, the team led by cyclist Jérôme Pineau has still not applied for registration with the UCI, despite the deadline for applying for a ProTeam licence having expired last week, suggesting that it has not yet managed to secure the signature of its main sponsor. This has led to the cancellation of the presentation scheduled for today, sparking speculation about the team's future.

It seems that none of the negotiations with the possible sponsors that had been coming to light have come to fruition and, in the last few days, the team is trying to reach an agreement with Engie, a French company that supplies natural gas and green electricity, although, as with everything else, the team continues without confirming or denying anything and it is all part of the speculation.