The UCI president claims that even ‘smaller teams’ were against the implementation of a budget cap, but a team source disputes that characterization of events.
Cor Vos
UCI president David Lappartient told Ouest-France this week that discussions about the prospect of implementing budget cap in cycling faltered due to the pushback from teams – and that even “smaller teams” had, somewhat surprisingly, been against the idea.
“We considered implementing a ‘budget cap’ for all the teams, and paradoxically, the teams didn’t accept it,” Lappartient told Ouest-France. “I was surprised that it was mostly the smaller teams that refused.”
What are budget caps and how might one work in cycling?
Pro cycling could get Major League Baseball-style budget rules soon. Here’s what that means.
The notion of bringing a budget cap to the sport has gained currency amid the unprecedented dominance of a handful of high-budget teams, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG leading the way most recently and Visma-Lease a Bike only a few years removed from winning all three Grand Tours in the same season. At the other end of the spectrum, smaller teams are struggling to compete in the present racing environment, and indeed some are struggling even to survive. As discussed in Lappartient’s interview with the Breton newspaper, Breton team Arkéa-B&B Hotels is folding after failing to find sponsor support.
Proponents of budget caps, which are a prominent feature in American professional sports leagues like the NFL, point to their implementation as a way to “level the playing field” of a highly stratified pro peloton.
This post is for subscribers only
Subscribe now
Already have an account? Sign in
Did we do a good job with this story?
👍Yep
👎Nope