Team Flanders-Baloise to Cease Operations After 33 Years

Team Flanders-Baloise has announced it will cease operations at the end of the 2026 season, marking the end of a 33-year era in Belgian cycling. The decision, announced on Tuesday, leaves 15 riders without a team for the upcoming season after the team failed to secure new sponsors following the Flemish government’s withdrawal of financial support.

A Legacy of Flemish Talent Development

The team, founded in 1994 as Vlaanderen 2002-Eddy Merckx, served as a crucial development pathway for young Flemish cyclists for over three decades. According to the official team statement, 218 Flemish riders turned professional through the project, with no fewer than 111 progressing to UCI WorldTeams (87) or UCI ProTeams (24).

The team’s alumni list reads like a who’s who of Belgian cycling: Yves Lampaert, Victor Campenaerts, Oliver Naesen, Edward Theuns, Thomas De Gendt, Sep Vanmarcke, Jan Bakelants, and Stijn Devolder all honed their craft in the team’s yellow-white-blue colors before reaching the sport’s highest level. As Het Laatste Nieuws reported, the team also played a significant role in track cycling, with riders like Lindsay De Vylder becoming the first Belgian world champion in the Omnium.

The Government’s Decision

The team’s fate was sealed in June 2025 when the Flemish government announced it would withdraw as main partner from 2027. Sports Minister Annick De Ridder explained the decision, noting that “the progression of promising cyclists to the WorldTour is under pressure within the context of modern cycling,” as Sporza reported. “Young riders are being contracted directly by WorldTour teams faster and faster, which means the role of intermediate development teams has changed.”

The government designated 2026 as a transition year for the team to find new partners, redirecting its focus toward track cycling, which it described as “a spearhead within Flemish top sport policy.”

The team spent the 2026 season searching for new sponsors to fill a budget gap of approximately 1.5 million euros, as HLN reported in June. Despite the sporting success of sprinter Tom Crabbe, who won five races in 2026, no new sponsors were secured. Baloise, the insurance company that had been co-sponsor since 2013, expressed intent to continue but was unable to sustain the team alone.

“Losing a main sponsor is for a team like losing a coat rack, and we have not been able to temporarily replace it,” team manager Christophe Sercu told HLN. “Many avenues were explored to continue, but unfortunately none of those avenues materialized.”

Riders Left Without a Team

Of the 20 riders on the team’s payroll this season, only five have secured their future. Tom Crabbe has signed with Q36,5, Jules Hesters will join Picnic PostNL, and Noah Vandenbranden, Milan Van Den Haute, and Tuur Dens will remain funded by the Flemish government for the track cycling project. The remaining 15 riders face an uncertain future in a transfer market already well underway.

Sercu noted that the team made its decision before the October 15 UCI license dossier deadline to give staff time to find new employment. In addition to the riders, approximately eight full-time staff members will lose their jobs.

Broader Implications for Pro Cycling

The team’s demise highlights the growing financial challenges facing UCI ProTeams. “The disappearance of our team illustrates how challenging it has become today to finance a ProTeam in a sustainable way,” Sercu said. “While the budgets of UCI WorldTeams have risen sharply in recent years, it is becoming increasingly difficult for UCI ProTeams to stay financially afloat.”

The team’s history is documented in detail on Wikipedia, which traces its evolution through various name changes, including Chocolade Jacques-Topsport Vlaanderen, Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, and Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise.

What’s Next

The team will continue racing through the remainder of the 2026 season, with Sercu promising to “do everything to close this unique project in a dignified and stylish manner.” The political debate over the team’s subsidy, which was questioned in the Flemish Parliament in June 2025 over its annual cost of approximately 1.92 million euros, ultimately proved decisive. As Sercu put it: “The team stops, a story remains.”