"A lot of riders and staff could find themselves unemployed, without a team" - Cavendish and B&B Hotels in deep trouble as financial issues still unresolved

B&B Hotels-KTM seemed to be on the way to a massive improvement into 2023, but that is all but assured at the time being. With time running out and pressure building up, the team's plan to secure several new leaders and a big budget increase is consistently seeming less likely.

“I got a message from an agent. They said they were looking around for other opportunities for their rider who had signed on the women’s team," an anonymous source from within the team told Velonews. "They asked if we were interested in taking her. We’ve got no more space but they are looking around. On the men’s side, it sounds like the riders have been kept in the dark. They’ve not been updated and they’ve just seen what’s in the press. There is definitely a concern there.”

The team has reportedly signed Audrey Cordon-Ragot, current double French national champion on the road, but has this week also been said that all riders are free to look for contracts elsewhere. Combined with a postponed team presentation, failure to meet current UCI deadlines and no end in sight, the French team is in a bad position, with the men's team riders - including signings such as Mark Cavendish, Cees Bol and Nick Schultz - are currently in the dark.

Pascal Chanteur, former rider and the current president of the union of pro riders and vice-president of the National Cycling League has added that "riders need to sound us out, call us, to get answers to their questions, that seems logical to me. We are there for that, and when they need us, we are with them. We are there to bring them support, information… I felt them worried, and anxious. These are the two words that come to mind... We also had riders’ agents who contacted us for information.”

As the clock ticks by, Jerome Pineau's team is continuously diving into a more difficult situation to escape. It is said that the team had it's financial guarrantees but the lack of payments means they have been forced to look for an investment of millions last-minute - including a possible merger with Israel - Premier Tech, which has been refused.

“A lot of riders and staff could find themselves unemployed, without a team, if things don’t turn out in the right direction," Chanteur warned. "We have to be close to the riders to be sure that none of them find themselves in a delicate situation. That the rights, the contracts, are respected."

“First of all, I want to be as benevolent as possible with them, with the staff, the riders, etc. I wish the best to the team, really, and I hope that this episode will end well, that the situation will be resolved. I think it’s still possible and I believe in it, let’s be clear. But once I said that, you also have to face it. And having heard Jérôme at the beginning of the week, I am not necessarily reassured," he continued. "He did not bring more details [regarding sponsors] than those I was able to read in the press some time ago. He made me understand that he was still in talks with the City of Paris and certain other people. I understood that it was difficult to move forward… So that didn’t reassure me much, I must say.”

A file needs to be presented until the 22nd of November to the UCI, leaving less than two weeks for the team to present it's official plan for 2023. "There, it is a total blur. I am very concerned about the situation. I have a feeling that there was only plan A planned, and no plan B. It’s mid-November, it would have been nice to have one, wouldn’t it? Because I repeat, I want to trust Jérôme Pineau, I know that he does the maximum," Chanteur concluded.