The prize money for last year’s Tour of Britain has still not been settled nearly a year later, Cycling Weekly reports. Wout Van Aert and his team, Visma | Lease a Bike, dominated last year’s race – winning five stages and the overall title – but are still waiting to receive their promised prize money.
Speaking in February, British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton committed to dealing with the prize money debt, describing it as one of many issues that the governing body had inherited from the former Tour of Britain promoter. “We’re aware of it,” Dutton said. “We were recently made aware of it and it forms part of a number of legacy issues that we’ve inherited.”
British Cycling saved both the men’s and women’s race for 2024 edition, however the past won’t be forgotten as quickly. Their spokesperson told Cycling Weekly that there are on-going negotiations to find a solution for the unpaid money: “We have been in regular communication with both the UCI and the CPA, who administer the payment of prize monies, over the prize money owed from the 2023 race.”
“Whilst we accept no liability for the debts accrued by the Sweetspot Group, in good faith we have confirmed that we will honour all of the prize money payments from the 2023 race and have shared a payment plan with both the UCI and the CPA.” Sources told Cycling Weekly that the length of the offered plan is between three and five years.