The UCI set a budget limit for all teams, and "the smaller teams opposed it"

Strong statements from UCI President David Lappartient against World Tour teams that, with the new validity cycle of licenses, were presented with the idea of establishing a budget limit to reduce the competitive gap.

David Lappartient criticizes teams' refusal to set a budget limit

The proposal to establish a budget limit for cycling teams, similar to what is already done in other sports, is a recurring topic that reappears from time to time without ever finding a way to be implemented. With the start of a new 3-year cycle of World Tour license validity, the UCI, with its president David Lappartient as the main proponent of the measure, brought up the issue of the budget limit again, although, in the end, it did not progress.

According to Lappartient, it was the teams that refused to agree to the budget limit, so the new World Tour licenses for the upcoming triennium will not have any spending limit as had been the case before.

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Lappartient explained to French media, "We considered implementing a budget limit for all teams, and paradoxically, they did not accept it. I was surprised that it was mainly the smaller teams that opposed it. I think they were mistaken."

These statements come at a complicated time when most teams are looking for new sponsors to increase their budgets. Lotto and Intermarché had to merge to solve their financial problems, and Arkéa-B&B Hotels has ended up disappearing as they could not find sponsorship to cover their minimum budget.

In any case, this is a problem associated with the historically prevailing financing system in cycling, where the budget of the teams depends almost exclusively on the financing from their sponsors. However, Lappartient does not consider the system itself to be the problem, but rather that "Cycling was undervalued compared to its true worth, and today it is a sport that has acquired a global dimension. Perhaps it is the price of success, as cycling enjoys very high audiences. The real winners are the cyclists, who are earning much more money." concluded the UCI president regarding the reasons that have led to the continuous escalation in budgets.