“Until his dying breath” – Arkea – B&B Hotels not ready to give up on survival yet

Arkéa – B&B Hotels are fighting an uphill battle to secure their future in the WorldTour, with time rapidly running out to replace two departing title sponsors. Before this year’s Tour de France, the French squad confirmed that both Arkea and B&B Hotels would not renew their contracts beyond the end of 2025, leaving the team scrambling for financial lifelines. Despite Kevin Vauquelin’s promising performance at the Tour, the reality is that the team’s chances of staying in the sport’s top tier appear increasingly slim.

For riders and staff, the uncertainty has been dragging on for months. “It's frustrating in itself that there's so little communication, but that's not meant as a reproach,” Jenthe Biermans told Het Nieuwsblad. “If there's nothing, there's obviously not much to communicate. Until his dying breath, Hubert will try to find a solution for his staff and riders, but the deadline keeps getting pushed back. Manu says: 'Give me another week,' 'at the end of the Tour,' 'at the end of the Tour de France Femmes'... The reality is that it's now mid-August. The clock is ticking.”

The lack of firm commitments has prompted several riders to secure their futures elsewhere. According to Het Nieuwsblad and cycling journalist Daniel Benson, Biermans is set to join Cofidis, while Martin Tjotta will head to Uno-X. Vauquelin, the team’s standout at the Tour, is reportedly on his way to INEOS Grenadiers.

Even if the sponsorship gap could be bridged, Arkéa – B&B Hotels’ competitive standing is another obstacle. They currently sit 21st in the UCI team rankings, a full 3,400 points behind the relegation cut-off, a seemingly insurmountable gap to close with the limited number of races left. That deficit makes it virtually impossible for them to retain WorldTour status for 2026. Dropping down to ProTeam level would significantly reduce their guaranteed race invitations, making it harder to attract high-profile riders and sponsors.

August is already deep into contract season, with many companies finalising budgets and rider transfers well underway. The departure of key names like Vauquelin only compounds the difficulty of selling the project to backers.