Money problems and broken dreams – why is it so hard to run a cycling team?
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.
- Hess Cycling team collapsed a year after ambitious 2023 launch
- Riders and a supplier left unpaid, one owed over £50,000
- Highlights fragile financial model in women's professional cycling
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Hess collapse demonstrates that professional cycling lacks adequate financial safeguards and governance structures found in other major sports. Owners who make explicit promises to riders and sponsors bear responsibility for delivering on those commitments; cycling must implement stronger oversight mechanisms, licensing requirements, and financial reserves to protect athletes and service providers from being left unpaid.
The case against
The Hess failure reflects cycling's fundamentally fragile business model, where teams depend on volatile single sponsors unlike football or Formula 1 with diverse revenue streams. Even well-intentioned owners face catastrophic collapse when sponsorship evaporates. Rather than focus on individual accountability, cycling requires systemic solutions such as diversified funding models and industry-wide standards that make the sport's financial ecosystem more resilient.