“I'm not in favor of a communist system” – But what is the answer to the financial dominance of UAE, Visma and INEOS

Cycling in 2025 no longer resembles the sport it was when some fans started watching. From self-funded riders hauling their own mechanical supplies to teams now flanked by vast support crews and multimillion-euro infrastructure, the professional scene has undergone a fundamental transformation. Quite frankly, it is now an entirely different sport.

Broker Dries Smets, speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, highlighted the scale of the shift. “I don't think they are necessarily losing the battle,” Smets said, referring to smaller teams. “But the budgets to compete at the top have increased significantly.”

Where once €20–25 million was enough to build a Grand Tour contender, that figure has now doubled. “I'm not saying that's not possible as a Belgian team, but you do need to find such a sponsor. If a Belgian company is prepared to invest five million euros in the team, that is no longer enough to compete at the top.”

Smets likened cycling’s financial landscape to football’s elite tier. “Isn't that also the case in football? Barca, PSG and Manchester City stand out because they have a lot more money than Anderlecht or Club Brugge. What is true is that the gap between the top teams and the other teams has become much bigger in cycling.”

“A decade ago, a top team had twice the budget of a small team, now we're talking about three or four times that,” he added.

While top teams like UAE Team Emirates – XRG and INEOS Grenadiers now operate with resources once unthinkable, Smets also pointed out that success isn’t entirely dictated by budget. “Intermarché–Wanty doesn't have the biggest budget, but last year they won three stages in the Tour and the green jersey. Money doesn't determine everything.”

Ideas like a salary cap have been floated as a way to level the playing field, but Smets is sceptical. “I'm not in favor of a communist system where we try to equalize everything. Although it shouldn't be the intention that the big teams squeeze the small ones to death, which is what you're actually starting to see. So we do have to think about solutions.”