Arkéa – B&B Hotels are fighting an uphill battle to
secure their future in the WorldTour, with time rapidly running out to replace
two departing title sponsors. Before this year’s Tour de France, the French
squad confirmed that both Arkea and B&B Hotels would not renew their
contracts beyond the end of 2025, leaving the team scrambling for financial
lifelines. Despite Kevin Vauquelin’s promising performance at the Tour, the
reality is that the team’s chances of staying in the sport’s top tier appear
increasingly slim.For riders and staff, the uncertainty has been dragging on
for months. “It’s frustrating in itself that there’s so little communication,
but that’s not meant as a reproach,” Jenthe Biermans told Het Nieuwsblad. “If
there’s nothing, there’s obviously not much to communicate. Until his dying
breath, Hubert will try to find a solution for his staff and riders, but the
deadline keeps getting pushed back. Manu says: ‘Give me another week,’ ‘at the
end of the Tour,’ ‘at the end of the Tour de France Femmes’… The reality is
that it’s now mid-August. The clock is ticking.”
The lack of firm commitments has prompted several riders to
secure their futures elsewhere. According to Het Nieuwsblad and cycling
journalist Daniel Benson, Biermans is set to join Cofidis, while Martin Tjotta
will head to Uno-X. Vauquelin, the team’s standout at the Tour, is reportedly
on his way to INEOS Grenadiers.
Even if the sponsorship gap could be bridged, Arkéa –
B&B Hotels’ competitive standing is another obstacle. They currently sit
21st in the UCI team rankings, a full 3,400 points behind the relegation
cut-off, a seemingly insurmountable gap to close with the limited number of
races left. That deficit makes it virtually impossible for them to retain
WorldTour status for 2026. Dropping down to ProTeam level would significantly
reduce their guaranteed race invitations, making it harder to attract
high-profile riders and sponsors.
August is already deep into contract season, with many
companies finalising budgets and rider transfers well underway. The departure
of key names like Vauquelin only compounds the difficulty of selling the
project to backers.