{"id":228438,"date":"2025-10-20T21:56:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T21:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/228438\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T21:56:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T21:56:10","slug":"arkea-boss-believes-his-own-teams-collapse-shows-change-is-needed-in-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/228438\/","title":{"rendered":"Arkea boss believes his own team’s collapse shows change is needed in cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Despite late attempts to find investors, no viable partnership emerged. \u201cThe past few weeks were complicated,\u201d Hubert continued. \u201cIt seemed at one point that we were close to making it happen, that someone was ready to invest, but in the end, nothing came through. I\u2019m not thinking about my own future right now; my priority is to find solutions for my employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sport of extremes<\/p>\n

Beyond the human cost, Hubert pointed to a deep structural problem within modern cycling \u2014 the vast financial gulf between the richest and the rest. \u201cCycling gives companies visibility, and that\u2019s a good thing,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the truth is that some teams can invest four times more than others, and that inevitably creates sporting inequality.”<\/p>\n

\u201cUAE can afford to sign five or six riders to support a superstar like Pogacar in the finale of races such as Il Lombardia. That perfectly illustrates the power of teams like the Emirati squad and the gulf that exists between different structures,” he continues. “When you look at the current state of French cycling teams, it\u2019s clear that we\u2019re left fighting for scraps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hubert believes the UCI must act to prevent further casualties. \u201cFor the future, I believe the UCI needs to regulate a few things \u2013 introduce a salary cap, for example, and perhaps also put some rules in place around transfers,\u201d he suggested. \u201cWhen Kevin Vauquelin<\/a> changes teams, my outfit doesn\u2019t receive a single euro from that transfer \u2013 nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also called for a rethink of cycling\u2019s business model, arguing that the sport continues to undervalue its own product. \u201cCycling needs a new format, a new business model,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should be finding ways to monetise merchandising and the digital world. And then there\u2019s the issue of TV rights \u2013 they won\u2019t change everything, but they\u2019re important. Teams could open their doors to cameras, give fans more access, and create new revenue streams, just as football clubs do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wider concerns for French cycling<\/p>\n

The disappearance of Ark\u00e9a – B&B Hotels leaves a significant gap in the French cycling landscape, already under pressure following years of stagnation among domestic WorldTour and ProTeam structures. Hubert fears that without reform, more teams could follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few years ago, when a team folded, it was very likely that a new one would emerge. That\u2019s no longer the case,\u201d he said. \u201cToday, there are more mergers between existing teams than the creation of new ones. But the real danger is that the grassroots of the sport are being hollowed out \u2013 we\u2019re seeing fewer youth and lower-category teams, which are essential to maintaining a talent pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the dust settles on the Ark\u00e9a project, Hubert\u2019s words resonate beyond France. His call for a fairer and more sustainable model speaks to a broader truth across the professional peloton \u2014 that while the sport\u2019s superteams soar ever higher, the foundations beneath them are beginning to crack.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Despite late attempts to find investors, no viable partnership emerged. \u201cThe past few weeks were complicated,\u201d Hubert…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-228438","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}