The end of a French cycling era
After 21 years of team history, the existence of Arkéa-B&B Hotels is coming to an end. The French WorldTour team missed the official UCI registration deadline on 15 October without a sponsor for the 2026 season. "I didn't submit anything because I don't have anything," team manager Emanuel Hubert told the French news agency AFP. The manager spent months searching for the estimated 20 to 30 million euros that would have been needed to keep the team going.
The main sponsors Arkéa and B&B Hotels informed Hubert back in the summer that they would not be renewing their contracts for 2026. Despite an intensive search for new sponsors, the sponsor acquisition remained unsuccessful. According to reports, all 150 employees, including 52 riders from three different teams, were informed of the impending team dissolution. An official press release is still pending, but the facts speak for themselves.
From Breton roots to the WorldTour
The team was founded 21 years ago as the Bretagne-Jean Floc'h Continental team and has always remained true to its Breton roots. The connection to the cycling stronghold of Brittany characterised the team's identity for over two decades. The continuous rise led to Pro-Continental status in 2011. Under the name Bretagne-Séche Environnement, the team made its debut at the Tour de France in 2014. The team continued to develop systematically and achieved WorldTour status in 2023. Arkéa-B&B Hotels was one of the four French teams in the highest racing category with a total of 18 teams.
Over the years, the team management has signed well-known riders such as André Greipel, Nacer Bouhanni, Nairo Quintana and Arnaud Démare. At the same time, the team has supported local talents such as Warren Barguil, a former young rider, and Kévin Vauquelin from Normandy. This mixture of international stars and regional hopefuls characterised the team philosophy.
In the last three years, Arkéa-B&B Hotels has expanded its structure to include a junior team and a women's team. The Belgian Lotte Claes achieved one of the most important team victories at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February.
Driver change and last race
Several top riders left the team before it was officially disbanded. Sprinter Arnaud Démare ended his career as the fourth most successful French professional cyclist with 97 victories. Kévin Vauquelin, runner-up in the Tour de Suisse 2025, is moving to INEOS Grenadiers, but delayed the announcement out of respect for his current team. On Wednesday, it was announced that Cristian Rodríguez, the best Spanish rider in the last Tour de France, has signed with XDS-Astana for 2026.
The team is currently competing in the Tour of Guangxi in China. The chrono of the national time trial on Sunday in western France will probably be the last race in the team's history. The French newspaper "Ouest-France" described rumours about a possible continuation at Continental level as very unlikely.
Leon Weidner
Working student
