The fall of Arkéa leaves French cycling in a low point

The end of Arkéa-B&B Hotels is confirmed after its director, Emmanuel Hubert, announced that they had not been able to find sponsorship for the 2026 season, thus ending a 21-year journey. This is in addition to the long-anticipated downfall of Cofidis, which marks the end of their journey in the World Tour after a disastrous season.

France is left with only one team in the World Tour

The collapse of French teams is confirmed. On one hand, the already announced disappearance of Arkéa-B&B Hotels, which had been rumored for months. Now, after the October 15 deadline set by the UCI for team registrations for the upcoming season has passed, the team has informed cyclists and staff that a sponsor has not been found to continue their journey.

Emmanuel Hubert, director of the French squad, stated that he had been looking for sponsorship to save the team until the last minute. He had explored up to 15 possibilities, but ultimately, all doors have closed, condemning the team, which began in 2004, to disappear, leaving 152 employees, including 52 cyclists between the men's team, women's team, and development squad, without a job.

RECOMENDADO

Should the World Championship be contested by teams rather than countries?

Would you spend more than 1,000€ to save 81g? The Campagnolo Super Record 13 ULTRA takes the luxury of performance to the extreme

The CEO of Strava confirms its IPO

There is no bad weather for riding a bike: Northwave proves it with the new Celsius XT Arctic GTX

Tight price rollers and high-end performance: Van Rysel launches its new indoor generation

This Spanish cyclist has been expelled from the Tour de Mentougou for a post on Strava

The woes of French cycling do not end there. One of their flagship teams, Cofidis, is on the verge of confirming the loss of their World Tour status after a horrible year in which they only managed to secure 9 victories, with only 2 being World Tour level, Coquard in Down Under and Alex Aranburu in Itzulia.

Not only is it the loss of World Tour status, but in the annual rankings, Cofidis has been surpassed by both Q36.5 and Tudor, meaning that Cofidis would not have guaranteed presence in the Grand Tours and would have to rely on invitations from organizers, which undoubtedly signifies a fall into the abyss for one of the historic French teams.

The bleak situation of French cycling does not stop there. "In less than five years, 60% of French teams have disappeared. What is happening in the amateur category will quickly affect professional cycling," lamented Emmanuel Hubert.

However, this situation contrasts with the growth of Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, which a few months ago confirmed a sponsorship agreement with the powerful shipping company CMA CSM, allowing them to double their budget. In addition, the rise of their young star Paul Seixas, who has had a very promising end to the season, allows them to dream of higher achievements.