Sponsors come and go, these days we talk about major and new contracts involving some cycling teams (see the return of Rabobank), but unfortunately, the constant problem of companies leaving or drastically reducing their support remains. After discussing the difficult situation of some teams, another squad risks taking a hard hit due to an important farewell: through its official profiles, the Alpecin Deceuninck team, Van Der Poel's squad, has communicated that Deceuninck will terminate its co-main sponsor role at the end of the season.

Deceuninck, a Belgian company specializing in window and door systems, had started its adventure in top-level cycling in 2019 alongside Quick Step, of which it became the main sponsor. In 2022, it joined forces with Alpecin, creating a collaboration that allowed the team to make the big leap into the World Tour, collecting numerous successes. In terms of numbers, we're talking about eight classics, stage wins in grand tours, green jerseys at the Tour, a world road title, plus numerous successes in women's and off-road cycling. In the last year, Deceuninck faced a 4.5% drop in profits due to the construction crisis, and this is most likely the reason behind the decision to step back.

Deceuninck's goodbye will not be definitive, the Belgian company will continue to sponsor the jerseys of both the men's and women's teams, but monetary support will be reduced to a minimum. It is nonetheless a hard blow for the movement, as Deceuninck was not only sponsoring the road team but all other teams in the same family, including Mountain Bike, cyclocross, and gravel.

"We started working with Deceuninck at the end of 2021, and a beautiful collaboration developed. It wasn't a given that we would find ourselves here, as at the time we weren't even a World Tour team. Despite this, we won their trust. Our gratitude for their commitment is much greater than the disappointment from their decision to step back. For us, a new challenge begins, but fortunately, we were informed in time and are doing our best to find a new sponsor for the upcoming season," said Philip Roodhooft, the team manager who is already searching for a new sponsor. The solution for Mathieu Van der Poel's team is not simple, as they have not yet obtained official renewal with Alpecin, the main sponsor - a signature that, it is hoped, should be merely a formality...