‘It felt like building the plane while flying it’ – What does it cost to start a professional cycling team from scratch, and is innovation worth more than a multi-million dollar budget?

‘How the bloody hell do you start a pro cycling team?’ is a question that’s been taking up a lot of my time recently.

Not in the abstract, ‘if I won the lottery’ sense, but in the spreadsheet open, budget-planning, and pitching sense. I’ve pitched in the US, the UK, and across Europe. I’ve spoken to decision makers who have the means to make it happen. I’ve come close, and I’ve dared to dream. But, so far, I’ve fallen short.