British Continental team insist they will race in 2025 despite fraud accusations against Swiss backer

Hess Cycling say allegations against team owner are part of a wider 'smear campaign'

Hess cycling team
(Image credit: SWPix.com)

British Continental team Hess Cycling have dismissed fraud allegations against the team's backer, London-based Swiss businessman Rolf Hess, and insist that they will race as planned in the coming season.

Reports recently emerged that entrepreneur Rolf Hess is currently under investigation in Spain after allegations of fraud were made against his firm, United Global Water Holdings Limited (UGW).

Hess launched his women's cycling team in the UK in 2023 after applying for a British Continental race licence. The team previously competed under a Luxembourg licence before moving under UK jurisdiction two years ago. At the time of their arrival in the UK the team said that Hess’s aim was to build the squad’s budget to €5million (£4.3million) within five years.

Regarding the team’s uncertain registration, the spokesperson for Hess said the team "should be back online next week" and explained that they "still have to upload our newest kit".

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Tom Thewlis
News and Features Writer

After previously working in higher education, Tom joined Cycling Weekly in 2022 and hasn't looked back. He's been covering professional cycling ever since; reporting on the ground from some of the sport's biggest races and events, including the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix and the World Championships. His earliest memory of a bike race is watching the Tour on holiday in the early 2000's in the south of France - he even made it on to the podium in Pau afterwards. His favourite place that cycling has taken him is Montréal in Canada.

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