After less than a season of racing, Ribble has closed down its crit racing team Ribble Rebellion.
The Preston-based bike brand told Cycling Weekly on Thursday evening that it was taking a "different path" in 2025, hinting at other road racing projects, which are yet to be announced. Ribble also supported the Ribble Collective for a second year in 2024, with riders across gravel, road and triathlon on the books.
The British squad, which was launched in early March, counted among its number Matt Bostock, the former British National Circuit Race champion, Jim Brown, who finished second place at the CRIT Championship in Florida last year, and Joe Laverick, the team's captain. It was triumphant in races in the UK and the USA, but there is now an uncertain future for the squad's 11 riders.
Bostock won four races in this year's National Circuit Series, with the team winning the team title, and yet it wasn't enough to keep the outfit going. The aim of the squad was "disrupting the global crit circuit", and it certainly had an impact, especially in the UK, but is no more.
"We’re incredibly proud of what Ribble Rebellion have achieved this year," a spokesperson for Ribble said. "We wanted to have an impact on the crit scene, and the team certainly achieved this. Rebellion went toe-to-toe with some of the biggest teams on the planet this year, and their record speaks for itself. For 2025 we will be taking a different path."
The news was broken by The British Continental this week; Ribble disputed that the decision has left riders in the lurch.
"We shared the news with the riders in early September, before the end of the season, in order to let them have the most time possible to plan their year ahead," the spokesperson said. "Whilst Ribble Rebellion will not be racing in its current form in 2025, we will be announcing what’s coming next very soon."
Ribble Rebellion's closure is just the latest team to be in trouble on the UK scene. Earlier this year, Trinity Racing's future was reported to be in doubt, while the biggest women's squad, Lifeplus-Wahoo, is no more.
