PROFESSIONAL cycling teams are facing mounting financial challenges, with sponsorship uncertainty and rising operational costs threatening the survival of several teams.
The collapse of Britain-based Hess Cycling has again exposed the financial vulnerabilities within professional road cycling, particularly in the women’s game.
The team, launched in 2023 with ambitious plans to become one of the leading teams in women’s cycling, folded in 2025 after losing its title sponsor.
The development left riders, staff and suppliers with unpaid bills, with one supplier reportedly owed more than £50,000.
The team had initially promised to build a world-class British outfit capable of competing for major honours, including the Tour de France Femmes.
Its co-owner, Swiss businessman Rolf Hess, had announced an initial budget of 750,000 euros, with plans to increase the budget fivefold when the team reached the UCI Women’s WorldTour.
Hess had also promised to prioritise riders’ welfare, education and personal development while creating commercial opportunities around the athletes.
However, the team reportedly struggled financially from its early days, with riders experiencing delayed payments and difficulties securing reimbursements.
A former rider, who requested anonymity, said the team was fortunate to have had even half a million pounds available for operations.
“There were reasonable money issues from the start where riders were paid late or wouldn’t get reimbursements,” the rider said.
The team remained at continental level, the third tier of women’s road cycling, and failed to achieve significant results in major competitions.
Its best reported result in the 2025 Women’s Tour of Britain was 15th position.
The financial difficulties also affected suppliers and technical staff.
One mechanic said he arrived at a race location only to discover that transportation had not been arranged, forcing him to source hire vehicles himself while also preparing equipment for competition.
The team’s financial crisis deepened after its title sponsor withdrew from the partnership.
According to the team’s management, the sponsor’s decision followed media reports concerning a civil claim against one of the team’s directors relating to a separate water company venture.
The allegations were denied.
Norbert Stocker, a member of the team’s management, said the claims were unrelated to the cycling operation but nevertheless affected the sponsor relationship.
He said media speculation surrounding the allegations destabilised the team’s relationship with its principal external sponsor.
Hess Sports Group subsequently continued to finance the team, reportedly contributing more than £200,000 during the summer of 2025.
In a statement, Hess said the funding shortfall had materially affected the team’s operations but allowed its athletes to continue competing while efforts were made to secure its future.
The group also pledged to repay all its creditors.
The Hess experience, however, points to a wider structural problem in professional cycling.
Unlike football and several other major sports, cycling teams generally do not receive a direct share of television rights revenue.
Race organisers retain the revenue generated from broadcasting major events, leaving teams heavily dependent on sponsorship.
This arrangement creates significant financial exposure when a major sponsor withdraws.
Teams must finance riders, coaches, mechanics, medical personnel, transport, accommodation, equipment and technology, while also competing for increasingly expensive performance advantages.
The situation has contributed to the collapse of several teams.
Reports indicate that about 10 British-based men’s and women’s continental teams have folded over the past two years.
Stakeholders in the sport have consequently renewed calls for a more sustainable financial model.
One proposal is the so-called “one cycling” concept, under which teams and race organisers would negotiate a broader commercial arrangement that could provide teams with a share of global television rights.
Supporters believe such an arrangement could strengthen teams financially and enable the sport to grow commercially.
However, the proposal has struggled to gain sufficient support among some of the sport’s biggest commercial stakeholders.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling’s world governing body, launched a consultation in January on the future of professional men’s and women’s cycling.
The consultation covers issues including the economic model, competition calendar, participation rules, fan engagement, safety and the credibility of sporting results.
The disparity between men’s and women’s cycling also remains significant.
For instance, the winner of the Tour de France Femmes receives only about one-tenth of the prize money awarded to the winner of the men’s Tour de France.
Pirmin Lang, Hess sporting director and former WorldTour rider, attributed some of the challenges to the rapid development of women’s cycling.
“Women’s cycling has developed too quickly. Teams try to set up, but can’t keep up,” he said.
He argued that while the WorldTour continues to expand, the developmental structure beneath it has not grown at the same pace.
According to him, strengthening the development level is essential to building a sustainable cycling economy.
For riders, however, financial instability can create a difficult power imbalance.
The former Hess rider said some cyclists were reluctant to speak about their concerns because they feared damaging their careers.
According to the rider, some cyclists even paid their own expenses to attend races because they feared missing an opportunity that could become a career breakthrough.
“You’re always looking for the rainbow,” the rider said, describing the hope that difficult circumstances would eventually improve.
The experience highlights the risks faced by professional cyclists whose careers depend heavily on teams operating in an unstable financial environment.
With Britain preparing to host major cycling events and the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes expected to generate renewed public interest, stakeholders face growing pressure to create a model that protects riders while ensuring teams can remain financially viable.
For many in the sport, the collapse of Hess Cycling is therefore more than the story of one failed team.
It is a warning that without stronger financial structures, better commercial arrangements and greater protection for riders and suppliers, the rapid growth of professional cycling could continue to produce teams that rise quickly but struggle to survive. (BBC Sports)
M.P
Tags: Cycling teams Financial woes
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