The future of France's B&B Hotels professional team will be decided by the end of the month, and Jérôme Pinault is clinging to the hope that he can pull off a last-minute sponsorship, even as he recognizes that the team is in "great danger."

In July, Pinault laid out ambitious plans for the French second-division team he created in 2018, hoping the city of Paris and other major sponsors would expand the "project" to also create a women's team and a development team.

However, nothing materialized, despite the Manxman's idea to sign a number of riders, led by Mark Cavendish, who appeared to be aiming for a Tour de France stage win record in 2023.

Team registration for the new season closed in mid-October, and a team presentation scheduled for Paris was cancelled a day earlier. Now Pinot must ask the UCI and the DNCG (the French team supervisory body) for a special waiver to extend the final deadline to November 30.

"If we are still waiting for a response by November 15, I can say that our future is threatened," Pinault admitted in a rare interview with the French newspaper L'Equipe (opens in new tab).

"We are behind schedule, but we will keep believing until the last minute of the last day. Something could start or it could all end."

Pinault remained tight-lipped throughout the fall amidst increasing uncertainty, but is now speaking in more detail about the precarious situation the team is in.

The contract with B&B Hotels remains in place, and the "close cooperation" with the city of Paris appears to be continuing, but it became clear over the summer that Paris would only lend its name and not its money. More importantly, partnerships with major companies such as Amazon and Carrefour have yet to materialize.

Due to the "instability of society and ecumenism," Pinault confirmed that there is no new funding.

"We are still waiting. We have contacted the relevant authorities, both in France and abroad, and told them that we need another 15 days to provide solid documentation. We have until November 30 to submit the complete official dossier along with the corresponding budget.

"I have set up meetings with the five companies that are following our project with a view to finalizing it, and we are awaiting concrete responses on November 21, 27, and 28. These are very serious parties with whom I have had numerous contacts, and I expect a positive response so that we can implement the decisions we made in July."

The future of the team is up in the air and could disappear altogether. Earlier this week, Italian rider Luca Mozzato said he was not worried, as the team would at least survive in its current form. However, Pinot appeared to contradict that view.

Clinging to the hope of a three-squad structure, he admitted that he "cannot rule out the possibility that we will have to adapt and work on a reduced project," but suggested that this still depends on success with new supporters.

"If the five leads come to nothing, we are in great danger and the team may not survive," he said.

"We will not be able to move forward at the level we want to with just the budget from the partners we already have on board. If we had to present the DNCG and UCI tomorrow with only a contract with the B&B Hotel and a loyal technical partner, we would not be able to present a viable plan for another series at the professional team level."

As a result, all current and potential new riders are in limbo; riders are free to sign with others after the mid-October UCI registration deadline, but according to Pinault, so far "no riders have jumped ship."

Meanwhile, Cavendish, who boasts 34 stage wins in the Tour de France and is determined to take the record from Eddy Merckx next year, is even less sure about his future. But he appears to be loyal to Pinault.

"If I hadn't contacted Marc and if he hadn't believed in our project, he would have already signed somewhere else," Pinault said, admitting that he first contacted the Manxman.

"He is one of those guys who wants to be part of this team. I would like that too, but I know very well that he is not part of the team yet at this point. He is behind us and with us every step of the way. So I can't hide the fact that he is part of our plan to get to the next level."