Ribble-Weldtite’s future uncertain

British team in search for more cash to cover rising costs

- Tom Thewlis

The UCI Continental status of British team Ribble- Weldtite is in doubt for next season as the rising costs of running a squad at this level have become prohibitive.

Founded in 2017 as Ribble, before Weldtite joined as joint title sponsor at the beginning of 2020, the team has been registered with the UCI since 2019 and is a key pillar of the British cycling scene, winning on road and track at home and abroad.

John Archibald and James Shaw have both moved on from the team to pro contracts as they punched above their weight when racing in Europe.

General manager Tom Timothy was quick to point out that the situation they find themselves in isn’t through the lack of support from his two main sponsors Ribble and Weldtite. “It primarily boils down to cost – Ribble and Weldtite haven’t got unlimited pools of money,” Timothy said. “While they’re able to give us some level of support for next year, it’s not to the level that we need to be able to continue, and certainly not to the level to grow and really represent the riders. We’re looking at a budgetary shortfall of approximately £80,000 pounds.