The BBC investigates why women's cycling teams, such as the British-based Hess Cycling squad, so often collapse financially, using Hess's demise a year after its launch as a case study. Founded in 2023 with ambitions to challenge for the Tour de France Femmes and rival the biggest teams on the UCI Women's World Tour, Hess folded within two months of losing its title sponsor, leaving riders and staff unpaid and raising broader questions about the fragile financial model underpinning professional cycling compared with sports like football and Formula 1.

Co-owner Rolf Hess had promised a first-year budget of 750,000 euros, rising to five times that by 2025, alongside a fresh, rider-led approach to sponsorship. In reality, former riders say the team saw barely half that sum, with unpaid bills, missing funds for team camps and wages still owed to riders; one supplier is reportedly owed more than £50,000, according to documents seen by the BBC. The sponsor withdrew after a civil claim was reported against one of the team's directors, precipitating the team's rapid collapse just as the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes prepare to visit the UK next year.