The expression cyclisme à deux vitesses, or “two-speed cycling,” was used by some French teams as shorthand to claim tolerance for doping by other countries and teams. The same phrase could still be used today to emphasize the differences between France's strict financial and employment laws as they relate to teams and international rivals.

French employment law requires players and staff to be registered as company employees, which reportedly costs them 40% more than players on other teams working as contractors.

The issue of employment status is once again in the spotlight as high-profile French players such as Lenny Martinez, Axel Jingle, and Valentin Paré-Pantlet are about to leave the French team for foreign teams.

The financial difficulties of the French World Tour team, Arcare B&B Hotels, are also becoming more serious, with its survival beyond 2025 in jeopardy. Marc Madiot, Martinez Director of [Groupama-FDJ], told “L'Équipe” magazine, “Simply everything is costing more and more.

“These days French teams are not in a position to compete with the top teams in terms of recruiting. This is no time for dreaming."

”The French teams are not in a position to compete with the top teams in terms of recruiting.

Arkéa-B&B manager Emmanuel Hubert was equally discouraging and candid about France's financial handicap and its consequences.

“It's not that we are bigger fools than other teams,” he said. It's just that the only thing at stake here is financial.”

Madio was at pains to point out that he was not disputing the fairness of the extra tax burden in France. But, as he put it, the estimated 40% price difference to riders is a significant surcharge when fighting to sign a contract with a top professional.

The fact that riders' annual salaries have recently skyrocketed across the board further accentuates the difference.

“40% on a salary of €50,000 a year is not that big a difference,” Cofidis team manager Cedric Vasseur told L'Équipe

. The real concern is that top talent will not come to French teams because they will be penalized in terms of taxes.”

Regarding the opposite direction of going abroad from France, as Martinez recently did, Madio was even more definitive about the one-sided nature of the fight to retain his services until 2025.

“I couldn't even fight for him,” Madio told L'Équipe.

“The difference between him and Martinez is astronomical. Then there are agents who say that your team is great for developing riders, but as soon as they start to play at the top, it's time to move on."

”I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes.

While Madio said “the knife is at their throats,”

Emmanuel Hubert, manager of Arcare B&B Hotels, warned that the team's financial mid-term situation is critical.

Due to the current financial problems and the lack of financial guarantees for the team beyond 2025, when the current sponsorship agreements with the two main sponsors end, Hubert has reportedly let go of three promising riders.

2021 Vuelta a España stage winner Clément Champusin, Italian Vincenzo Albanese, and Maeva Squiban of the Arcare B&B women's team will leave the team a year earlier than contracted, and Albanese will be leaving EF Education Easy Post is rumored to be moving to Education Easy Post.

“At the moment, I cannot guarantee anything after December 31, 2025,” Hubert told Le Télégramme.

“They could throw themselves elsewhere if their contractual clauses allow them to do so. And they were very much in demand

“I put myself in their position, they have to think about 2025 and beyond. Now I cannot offer them that. I have to adapt to the situation.

Yet another rider rumored to be leaving the team is British sprinter Dan McRae, whose contract with Arkea B&B Hotels ends this season. However, the 32-year-old's reasons for leaving the team are not yet completely clear.

If Arkea B&B Hotels is to remain in existence beyond 2025, the added complication of a possible relegation to the World Tour is a problem.

The three-year WorldTour team rankings, as recently reported by Cycling News, have them in 19th place in terms of cumulative points for 2023 and 2024. Currently, Arkea is far behind Cofidis in 18th place, 2,366 points behind.