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.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
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