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Whereas there are extra British riders than ever within the males’s WorldTour, the home racing scene within the UK continues to take hits, with the final remaining Continental workforce saying their closure yesterday.
Saint Piran, the Cornwall-based workforce named after the county’s patron saint, has competed within the UCI’s third racing class since 2021 however will not function in 2025 after a troublesome season and struggling to safe sponsorship.
They introduced their closure on Tuesday night, simply two weeks after CyclingWeekly reported that Trinity Racing, the event workforce which oversaw Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy’s soar to the WorldTour, would additionally shut.
Regardless of 34 riders being set to compete in males’s biking’s prime division subsequent season, the Continental stage is left teamless.
“There’s a vibrant future for UK biking. However that thrilling future will occur with out Saint Piran Professional Biking. With a troublesome season behind us, and extra lately turbulent media protection hitting sponsorship alternatives for subsequent 12 months, it has been determined that Saint Piran Professional Biking UCI Continental Workforce is not going to take to the startline in 2025,” learn an announcement from the workforce.
“Over the previous six months, the senior workforce has undertaken a strategic evaluate analysing how we will improve the alternatives for a number of the UK’s brightest abilities and encourage extra to get on bikes. To attain each we have now to maneuver to the subsequent stage. It’s not attainable for any skilled sports activities workforce to face nonetheless.”
Saint-Piran have been on the centre of controversy all through the latter levels of 2024, after it was reported that that they had been utilizing unmarked Chinese language frames with faux UCI approval stickers utilized to them, in keeping with reviews by CyclingWeekly. A proper investigation by the UCI is reportedly ongoing.
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Throughout the peak years of British biking from 2010-2019, there have been at the very least 5 UK-based Continental groups operating. The final time there have been none was in 2004.
4 British girls’s Continental groups are set to be operational in 2025.
Saint-Piran was the earlier workforce of present WorldTour Brit Jack Rootkin-Grey and is at the moment house to a number of former Monitor Biking world champions similar to Will Tidball and Ollie Wooden. A lot of their 21 contracted riders’ futures from 2024 shall be plunged into doubt.
“This has been an extremely troublesome determination for all at Saint Piran however one which we imagine is correct. Sadly for us, the celebs didn’t align in 2024 and it has taken its toll. Dangerous luck, poor well being and an unfair reminder we have now made errors over the eight years of growth have contributed to this determination,” continued the assertion.
“Earlier than some in our sport rejoice and little doubt sensationalise the closure of the workforce, you will need to perceive how a lot has been invested in getting this small workforce to a spot on the UCI desk. Our determination has a a lot wider influence that deserves extra dialogue than simply sensationalised headlines.
“We want to take this chance to thank everybody who performed a component in our progress and success over our eight years. It couldn’t have been attainable with out you.”
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