UCI WorldTeam

ARKEA-B&B HOTELS

Starting in 2005 under the name Bretagne-Jean Floc’h, this Brittany-based squad have been stalwart participants at their home Grand Tour, the Tour de France, for the best part of the last decade. Despite regularly sending a team of talented riders to the race, they could never translate this into a stage victory. The arrival of team manager Emmanuel Hubert to the team in 2014 created a few ripples, with several older riders making way for some more experienced riders from the WorldTour.

The 2022 season saw the team continue their upward trajectory, with Nairo Quintana taking a stage and overall victory at both the Tour de la Provence and Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var. A total of 12 victories for the season and a 6th place finish for Quintana at the team’s home Grand Tour earned them a promotion to the WorldTour for 2023. However, the year would end on a sour note after their Colombian leader returned a positive test for tramadol, a painkiller banned by the UCI on medical grounds. The Colombian rider was subsequently stripped of his results from the Tour and would later go on to part ways with the team only six weeks after signing a new contract.

Nevertheless, things are looking up for Arkéa-B&B Hotels in their second year at the WorldTour level in 2024. Most notably, the team signed Arnaud Démare midway through the 2023 season. The French sprinter comes to the team with high hopes and will immediately step into the role of leader as the team works to gain valuable UCI points to avoid relegation at the end of 2025. While it will be an uphill battle, it is possible if Démare can come good on the promise of his palmarès.

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