“I have one shot left” – Future of Arkea – B&B Hotels nearing final hour

The future of Arkéa – B&B Hotels hangs in the balance as team manager Emmanuel Hubert struggles to secure backing for the 2026 season. Both of the team’s main sponsors are set to leave at the end of next year, leaving the French squad with a financial crisis. Despite Kevin Vauquelin’s impressive Tour de France performance, the team were not able to attract new funding.

“I have never given up. Never,” Hubert told Le Parisien this week. “But I have a duty to be clear-headed: it is clear that we are very far from being on the right path when we look at the calendar.”

The team faces a crucial deadline on September 15, when the UCI registration process for the 2026 WorldTour begins. The initial requirement is a payment of at least €80,000, a sum Hubert says he will cover himself. For him, that decision reflects the burden and responsibility that comes with leadership. “That’s what it means to be a boss who fights and sees things through.”

The next major hurdle comes on October 1, when teams must submit a bank guarantee to confirm their financial stability for the coming year. Without a firm sponsor commitment by then, Hubert admits the project will collapse. “Then the axe will fall. If I don’t have at least a firm letter of commitment, it will be over.”