A bid to type a males’s British Continental crew for subsequent 12 months has failed as a consequence of an incapacity to draw a title sponsor in a really quick timeframe.
Harry Tanfield, who led the bid, mentioned that he initially had till 6 December to use for a Continental crew licence after his former crew Saint Piran collapsed. The lack of Saint Piran and the highway arm of Trinity Racing means the UK is about to don’t have any males’s UCI Continental groups for the primary time since 2004 initially of subsequent season.
Tanfield was main an bold effort to aim to make sure that the grim scenario wouldn’t materialise. Nonetheless, he has now mentioned his challenge is not going to get off the bottom as a consequence of struggles elevating funds.
“We will’t go Continental, that’s simply not attainable,” he mentioned. “We’re not likely positive what to do now. I form of simply wish to have per week off to compose my ideas. We will’t go Continental so there’s no deadline now to achieve. If we wish to register an elite crew then I feel we will try this.”
“There’s a couple of issues that might occur however as of but I haven’t bought something confirmed,” he continued. “It might be good if a crew may get off the bottom ultimately right here within the UK. I am simply going to maintain on the lookout for the sponsorship now going ahead to 2026 as we will’t make the deadline for this 12 months because it’s handed now, it’s gone. British Biking mentioned to come back again in November subsequent 12 months.”
Being an elite crew, as a substitute of a UCI Continental crew, would imply that the squad has much less assured entry to UCI-level races, however may nonetheless compete within the British Nationwide Street Collection and different home occasions, primarily based on invitations.
It’s understood that British Biking officers had been involved about Tanfield’s crew being linked to former Saint Piran workers, after the outfit was beneath investigation by the UCI after it transpired managers had requested mechanics to glue pretend UCI compliance stickers to frames purchased from China. Tanfield has performed down hyperlinks to the crew, which he rode for this 12 months.
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The British rider mentioned he wouldn’t be deterred by the setback and would look to hold his concepts into the brand new 12 months, with the intention of pitching plans for an elite crew to British Biking.
“I’ll simply be plugging away over the winter basically and into subsequent 12 months to simply see the place I can go along with this,” he mentioned. “A few of the firms we approached concerning sponsorship had been actually , however they only didn’t have the advertising and marketing price range right now of 12 months so can’t do something about it. Hopefully we may perhaps attempt to get one thing off the bottom for 2026 however I’m not too positive.”
Regardless of the setback, Tanfield didn’t have a foul phrase to say on BC’s involvement.
“It’s simply protocol and you may’t change it,” he defined. “And anyway, even when they’d given us an additional month to do one thing it doesn’t change something, you may’t get a title sponsor in a month. It’s simply not attainable for us so finish of.
“It’s what it’s. I simply want a while to relax out now and focus again by myself biking once more for the time being because it was very mentally draining.”
As issues stand, the previous WorldTour skilled is now and not using a trip on a private stage. Tanfield defined that his brother, Charlie, is in an identical scenario however each hoped that might flip a nook.
“I actually don’t know for myself and my brother and the place this leaves us,” he mentioned. “I’m speaking to another groups, there’s this type of on the go, there’s plenty of ifs and buts with all of it. I simply wish to do what’s greatest for the scene within the UK and even when that could be a non-UCI crew then that’s higher than nothing.”