Cavendish, Bol and many more authorized to look for contracts elsewhere, B&B Hotels-KTM on the verge of collapse

With no positive news emerging from the B&B Hotels-KTM camp, the expectations and hopes of the team taking to the road in 2023 fade further, with riders said to have been allowed to look for contracts elsewhere.

According to a report by Cyclism'Actu, all riders who have signed with the French team into 2023 have been authorized to look for contracts elsewhere. This not only includes the men's team with the likes of Mark Cavendish, Cees Bol and Nick Schultz as virtually confirmed signings, but also the women's team which had signed current French road and time-trial champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot.

Recently, team manager has said that he would have five meetings in late November, some of them still to happen, with potential partners who could still make the team's plans viable for the coming season. Although not impossible, it becomes very unlikely that the 'Men in Glaz' will remain in the peloton for the coming season. Pineau remains vaguely silent as he looks to seal a key deal.

The team, founded in 2018, has became a benchmark for Breton racing, an immensely popular cycling region and cultural hub within France. Although it is evident that the team could continue under it's current form, a big push has been made to increase the total budget to €15 million euros with Pineau signing major contracts with World Tour riders and having certainties of the plan working.

However, with the ongoing financial and energy crisis spread throughout Europe as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the step back taken by some of the potential sponsors that were in deep talks with the team, has led to a very difficult situation which begins to look unresolvable.