Team Petrolike on the brink as UCI sets 12 June payment deadline

Team Petrolike, the Mexican Continental outfit based in Italy, has been forced to withdraw from the Giro d’Italia Next Gen, where it had received a wildcard invitation from RCS Sport. The withdrawal is due to financial problems, with riders and staff reportedly having gone unpaid for several months.

The UCI met with the team’s owners earlier this year and initially set a payment deadline of 30 May, which was missed. A second deadline has now been agreed for 12 June. Should the team fail to meet it, its licence could be revoked, leaving riders and staff free to seek contracts elsewhere for the remainder of the season.

Team manager Marco Bellini told tuttobiciweb that the situation is complicated by the fact that the team’s sponsor also holds the UCI Continental licence.

“Our sponsor is also the holder of the UCI Continental licence. Right now, and it’s no secret, they’re going through a difficult financial period. For this reason, the team has been struggling for several months. Clearly, the UCI was aware of the situation, and to ensure a favourable outcome to this crisis, they initially set a payment deadline of May 30th, and then June 12th. To date, the situation hasn’t been regularised, and this has prevented us from participating in the Giro Next.

“Just last night, I received reassurances from Petrolike. Clearly, I remain confident that the situation can be resolved in the next few hours.”

The squad’s 2026 roster includes Ecuadorian rider Jonathan Caicedo, who won a stage at the 2020 Giro d’Italia, Ukrainian Andrii Ponomar, Italian Giosuè Epis and a talented Mexican core. For the riders and staff, the next 24 hours could determine whether they continue with Petrolike for the second half of 2026 or enter the market mid season.