British Continental women’s team Hess Cycling has shut down with immediate effect, bringing to an end a short-lived project that promised big ambitions but ultimately unravelled under financial and legal strain.
The team, founded in 2023 under a Luxembourg licence before switching to a British registration in 2024, had spoken confidently of becoming Britain’s leading professional women’s team with the Tour de France Femmes as a long-term target. Instead, the management confirmed on Monday that the squad will cease operations after failing to secure the stability needed to continue.
In a joint statement on Instagram, team owner Rolf Hess, alongside managers Norbert Stocker and Pirmin Lang, admitted that spiralling costs and the inability to secure a merger left them with no alternative. “During this year it became clear that a successful future for our team can only be secured by cooperating with a much stronger team and organisation. Until last week we were sure this could be achieved, unfortunately, this is no longer the case and we have concluded to terminate Hess Cycling Team with immediate effect.”
A turbulent 2025 season
The collapse follows a difficult year both on and off the road. In January, it emerged that owner Rolf Hess was under investigation in Spain over alleged fraud linked to his company, United Global Water Holdings Limited. At the same time, riders and staff reported late salary payments, with December 2024 wages not fully settled until February. The team also failed to receive the kit from its original supplier after bills went unpaid, forcing a last-minute change to Jakroo.
The UCI registration process dragged on into March, delaying the squad’s debut. Hess Cycling finally appeared in races from April, but by then six riders had already left. Among the early departures was Kate Richardson, who went on to win the Tour de Feminin and the British national criterium title after switching to Handsling Alba.
Results overshadowed by instability
On the bike, the team still produced some highlights. Alice McWilliam took a memorable win at the East Cleveland Classic, while Grace Lister finished third at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. Scarlett Souren, riding in Hess colours before moving on, also posted strong performances in domestic races. Yet the successes were consistently overshadowed by questions around the squad’s future.
The situation deteriorated further as the team missed multiple UCI events in late summer. One directeur sportif was reported to have returned to work in a local bike shop as uncertainty deepened. By August, Hess Cycling had effectively ceased operating, culminating in the formal shutdown this week.
Echoes of past collapses
For many within women’s cycling, the saga has drawn comparisons with the Zaaf Cycling collapse of 2023. Both teams entered the sport with ambitious talk, only to be undone by financial mismanagement and unpaid commitments. Despite promises from management that rider welfare was central, Hess Cycling ended up repeating some of the same mistakes, leaving athletes once again caught in the fallout.
Hess, Stocker and Lang insisted they remained proud of what was achieved in a short period. “We came from nothing and were ranked as the top British female cycling team, something that we are very proud of. We are deeply grateful for your unwavering support throughout this journey.”
With the project now closed, British women’s cycling loses a team that once aimed to challenge on the international stage, but whose collapse underlines the fragility that can still exist in the professional peloton when strong financial foundations are lacking.
