French Champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot has spoken out about the Zaaf Cycling Team, confirming the allegations that management has not paid riders and staff salaries since January 1, 2023.
The Spanish-registered women’s team is currently under investigation by the UCI and the Spanish Cycling Federation as the sport governing bodies seek to clarify the team’s financial situation and, if necessary, execute the bank guarantee to compensate riders and staff.
“Things are in place with the responsible entities to recover our money, but we have not been paid since January 1 nor reimbursed for our travel expenses. We are in conditions that are not worthy of a pro team, and it is very complicated to exercise our profession, even if we have been doing it since January 1,” Cordon-Ragot said in an interview with Ouest-France (opens in new tab).
Zaaf Cycling Team stepped in to hire some of the riders left without a contract following the collapse of the B&B Hotels-KTM squad last December, bringing in riders Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Maggie Coles-Lyster and Heidi Franz on last-minute contract deals to its 15-rider roster.
A club team in 2021, Zaaf Cycling Team management took the steps to upgrade to a UCI Continental Team for the first time this season. Its riders have competed in a full calendar of races beginning at the Australian summer season of racing at the Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Road Race, then went on to race the early-season events in Spain and the beginning of the Spring Classics.
Zaaf Cycling Team riders have placed in the top 10 at 14 events this year so far, with Zayed Ahmed winning double national titles at Egypt’s National Championships.
Allegations of the team not compensating its riders and staff surfaced in March following reports by journalists Charles Marsault and Raul Banqueri. Cordon-Ragot later confirmed that have not been paid for the previous three months of work completed.
“They promise to pay us. But it’s been the same thing every week for nearly three months. We don’t see the money coming, and we can’t live without it, clearly. I wonder what I’m going to do. It is complicated,” Cordon-Ragot said.
“The option that has been put forward, if we are not paid before the end of March, is to operate the financial [bank] guarantee that had been paid to the Spanish Federation, and which would at least allow us to be compensated, but only three months’ salary.
“So that’s why we can’t wait much longer. Because if we go another month without being…
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