Storm clouds over Belgian pro cycling as teams fight for survival
Belgium’s professional cycling scene is facing a wave of financial uncertainty. In recent months, almost every major domestic team has been hit by budget problems, sponsor doubts or structural upheaval, leaving the future of several squads hanging in the balance.
Wagner-Bazin under pressure
The latest alarm bell comes from ProTeam Wagner-Bazin WB. General manager Christophe Brandt is urgently searching for additional budget after a difficult first season following the merger between his former Bingoal WB squad and French Continental outfit Wagner-Bazin. The tie-up was intended to replace departing title sponsor Bingoal, which exited due to stricter gambling regulations, and secured the team a ProTeam licence for 2025.
Title sponsor Philippe Wagner has made no secret of his disappointment. Speaking to L’Est Républicain, the man behind the French charcuterie company said: “If you invest nearly a million euros in a team, you expect results, not just a string of second places. Especially after three successful years, this season has been very disappointing.”
While the sponsorship deal runs until the end of 2026, Brandt admits the team’s future depends on fresh funding: “Despite cycling’s growing popularity, it’s not an easy search. If we don’t find the money? I can’t answer that yet, but Belgian cycling is going through difficult times.”
Team Flanders-Baloise braced for funding cut
Another storied Belgian ProTeam, Flanders-Baloise, is also staring at an uncertain future. End June, the Flemish government confirmed it will end financial support after 2026, giving the team one final transition year to find new backers before public investment shifts to track cycling.
“We can thank the government for more than 30 years of support and for announcing this well in advance,” sports director Hans De Clercq told DirectVelo. “But everything starts with finding money. We want to continue in 2027, but it’s ProTeam or nothing.”
Flanders-Baloise has built a reputation as a development team, producing riders such as Sep Vanmarcke, Yves Lampaert, Iljo Keisse and Thomas De Gendt. De Clercq warned that without such a pathway, many young Flemish riders would have to leave the sport entirely: “Without us, a lot of them would never have made it past the amateur level.”
Merger talks and sponsor doubts at the top level
Even Belgium’s WorldTour presence is far from stable. Alpecin-Deceuninck is still searching for a replacement title sponsor following Deceuninck’s departure, while Soudal Quick-Step faces a post-Remco Evenepoel era and has hinted at scaling back its investment.
Even Belgium’s WorldTour presence is far from stable. Alpecin-Deceuninck is still searching for a replacement title sponsor following Deceuninck’s departure, while at Soudal Quick-Step, title sponsor Quick-Step has already signalled it might be open to scaling back its involvement, and it remains to be seen what Remco Evenepoel’s departure will mean for the team’s pulling power.
Meanwhile, Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto are in advanced talks to merge from 2026 in a bid to strengthen their financial position. According to reports from Sporza, Het Nieuwsblad and Het Laatste Nieuws, the two squads have agreed in principle to join forces, though key questions remain over equipment suppliers, staffing and rider contracts. Lotto sports director Kurt Van de Wouwer called it “a puzzle that seems to be coming together,” but acknowledged that some riders could lose their spots.
With Wagner-Bazin and Flanders-Baloise fighting for survival, Lotto and Intermarché heading towards a merger, and both Alpecin-Deceuninck and Soudal Quick-Step facing sponsorship doubts, Belgian pro cycling finds itself in perhaps its most fragile state in decades.
As Hans de Clercq puts it: “It’s not easy today. Look around, everyone is searching for money. That says it all.”
Whether through mergers, new sponsors or sheer resilience, the coming seasons will determine if Belgium can keep its proud place in the heart of the cycling world.
