"It’s crazy how much money is nowadays paid to youngsters" - Picnic PostNL manager on fighting for riders against teams "with no financial ceiling"
Cycling
That the financial demands in the sport of cycling are growing is no secret. In fact, many team managers, analysts and other sport figures are calling for salary caps, in hopes of equalling the opportunities. One of the managers who are struggling against the crushing pressure of money flowing from Middle East is Picnic PostNL manager Iwan Spekenbrink who, despite his best efforts to raise home-grown talent needs to constantly look over his shoulder.
"Cycling has changed a lot since Covid. Especially in terms of the amount of money circulating, especially from the Middle East," said Spekenbrink in an interview for WielerFlits. "As a result, some budgets have gone through the roof, even with bizarre examples such as the UAE. As a team, we are competing against countries with no financial ceiling," he analysed. "We should not complain, it is reality and our challenge is to succeed against these teams."
While Spekenbrink can understand why the likes of Tadej Pogacar are being paid what equals a yearly budget of a smaller PRT team, the fact that UAE Team Emirates - XRG are able to draw away the young talents with the power of money too. "It’s crazy how much money is paid to youngsters. That kind of money was given to those who had already had success in the big races, not to any junior."
So why should riders even pick Picnic PostNL over a superteam like UAE? "Not all young people adapt. Yes, in UAE they can run at a high level but often their results are subordinate. We have shown that we can develop young people and in that sense we do not consider ourselves inferior, I would even say that we are better at that," he claims with confidence.
"Money is a factor, but when the race starts you have the same opportunities. We rely on riders who choose to earn less but who we know will still be in the final. There will always be riders with that kind of thinking and we have them in the team," he concluded.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment