Team Flanders - Baloise | UCI ProTeam 2025
Nieuws
TEAM FLANDERS - BALOISE TO CEASE OPERATIONS AFTER THE 2026 SEASON
04 August 2026 - Teamnieuws
PRESS RELEASE
Waregem, 4 August 2026
After 33 years of developing Flemish cycling talent, one of professional cycling's longest-serving teams announces the end of its activities.
It is with deep regret that we announce that Team Flanders - Baloise will cease its activities as a professional cycling team at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
Following the decision of the Flemish Government, announced in the middle of last year, to withdraw as the team's principal partner from 2027 onwards, we have made every possible effort to secure the financial resources required to continue the project on a sustainable and competitive basis. Despite these extensive efforts, we have unfortunately been unable to achieve that objective.
As a result, one of the longest-serving teams in professional cycling will disappear. For 33 years, Team Flanders - Baloise has been dedicated to identifying, developing and guiding young Flemish cycling talent, earning a respected place within the international professional peloton.
Over the past three decades, 218 Flemish riders have raced professionally for Team Flanders - Baloise. No fewer than 111 of them progressed to the highest levels of the sport, joining either a UCI WorldTeam (87) or a UCI ProTeam (24). We are confident that several riders from our current squad will make the same step at the end of this season. These achievements speak for themselves and underline the crucial role Team Flanders - Baloise has played in the development of Flemish cycling for more than three decades.
In recent months, we have been deeply touched by the countless messages of appreciation, encouragement and support we have received. They demonstrate how much this team has meant to so many people. Ultimately, however, the economic and financial realities have determined the future of our project.
We firmly believe that the many Flemish riders who spent the early years of their professional careers with Team Flanders - Baloise will look back with pride and gratitude on this important chapter in their sporting development.
Acknowledgements
The success of Team Flanders - Baloise would never have been possible without the dedication, commitment and loyalty of countless individuals and organisations. We would therefore like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported the team over the past 33 years, and in particular:
• The Flemish Government, whose support made the creation of the team possible and which placed its trust in this project for many years.
• Our loyal sponsors and partners, some of whom have remained at our side throughout the team's entire 33-year history.
• Our sports directors, team doctors, coaches, soigneurs, mechanics, administrative staff and all other members of our organisation, whose professionalism, expertise and tireless commitment formed the foundation of our success.
• Every rider who proudly represented the colours of Team Flanders - Baloise. • The organisers of the many races that welcomed our team year after year.
• The journalists, cycling officials, supporters, cycling fans and everyone else who believed in our project and helped make it possible.
We wish all our riders and staff every success in the next chapter of their professional careers, both within cycling and beyond.
A Broader Concern
The disappearance of Team Flanders - Baloise also highlights a broader issue facing professional cycling today. Maintaining a UCI ProTeam on a sustainable financial basis has become increasingly difficult. While the budgets of UCI WorldTeams have risen significantly in recent years, many UCI ProTeams are finding it increasingly challenging to remain financially viable.
The figures illustrate this trend clearly. In 2018, there were 27 men's UCI ProTeams worldwide. By 2026, that number has fallen to just 16.
We sincerely hope that this development will encourage meaningful reflection on the future structure of professional cycling. A healthy and sustainable sport requires not only strong UCI WorldTeams, but also a robust second professional tier with a sufficient number of ambitious and financially stable UCI ProTeams.
Looking Ahead
Although today marks the announcement of the end of Team Flanders - Baloise, our story has not yet reached its final chapter. We still have several months of racing ahead of us and, until our very last race, we will continue to work with the same determination, passion and professionalism that have defined this team throughout the past 33 years.
The fact that our team is enjoying one of its strongest sporting seasons in recent years, even in its final campaign, once again reflects the exceptional commitment and professionalism of our riders and staff. We are determined to bring this unique project to a conclusion that reflects everything it has stood for.
Finally, we look back with immense gratitude on everything Team Flanders - Baloise has contributed to Flemish cycling over the past 33 years. Above all, we thank everyone who has been part of this extraordinary journey. Without the dedication, trust and commitment of so many people, Team Flanders - Baloise would never have become what it was.
A team comes to an end. A legacy lives on.
Christophe Sercu
General Manager
UCI ProTeam 2025
Team Flanders - Baloise / nieuws, 04 August 2026
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