The news had been longing for several weeks, and the worst case scenario has been confirmed this morning. ProTeam B&B Hotels-KTM will cease to exist at the end of 2022 following the failure of negotiations with sponsors and a too ambitious plan.
The news have been reported by Le Télégramme, stating that this morning team manager Jerôme Pineau has had a two-hour video conference with members of the team and communicated that the team would end, the reason being the lack of sponsors. The team had initially planned a big reveal for late October, but ever since that announcement was postponed, all plans went sideways.
The team had ambitioned for a €15 million euro budget for 2023, superior to that of several World Tour teams. Initial talks almost confirmed the team's wishes, however it is reported that there have been sponsors pulling out afterwards - the brands Carrefour and Sephora, aswell as the city of Paris heavily having been mentioned.
With this budget the team had secured signings of Mark Cavendish, Cees Bol and Nick Schultz aswell as several other World Tour riders to add to the French lineup, which has already raced the Tour de France over the last few years and had been targeting the same in the coming year.
After going through many negotiations, and prolonged dates for the documentation to be delivered, there were always hopes that the team could be saved. This past Friday riders were told they could seek contracts elsewhere, with some already confirming their departure such as Ramon Sinkeldam and Victor Koretzky.
The plan for the team to step down to Continental level ultimately was put on the table for the last few days, however that also seems to be off the plans. After five seasons in the peloton, B&B Hotels-KTM reaches it's ending. The women's and development teams that were planned have also been scraped off.
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