Audrey Cordon-Ragot quits Zaaf after team fails to pay riders
The French national champion may be barred for signing with a new team until June.
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Audrey Cordon-Ragot quit the Zaaf team late last month after months of not being paid her salary or expenses.
The French national champion revealed to VeloNews last month that the team had not paid its riders since the start of the season and that the riders were working with lawyers to force the team to pay out through its UCI bank guarantee.
Cordon-Ragot told French newspaper Le Télégramme that she “could not continue” under those circumstances and she had proffered her resignation.
“Since the beginning of the year, I was not paid, nor have I been reimbursed for my travel expenses. Beyond the financial aspect, the conditions in which we were evolving were really not worthy of a professional team,” Cordon-Ragot told Le Télégramme.
“I could not continue under these conditions. Three days after the end of the Tour de Normandie (March 22), I submitted my resignation. In terms of staff, we were understaffed. In terms of organization, it was not even at the level of an amateur N1. At one point, I said stop. I think I deserve better.”
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The problems at Zaaf are the latest setback for Cordon-Ragot after a challenging six months. In September last year, she suffered a stroke in the build-up to the world championships. Meanwhile, during her recovery, she was caught up in the collapse of the B&B Hotels squad.
Under the UCI rules, Cordon-Ragot is unable to race for a trade team until June 1. However, she could compete for the French national team during that time.
“It’s still a hassle but I’m definitely not going to let go,” she said.
Despite not paying its riders, Zaaf is still competing, and it took part at the recent Tour of Flanders with none of its riders finishing the race. It is also scheduled to take part in Scheldeprijs on Wednesday and Paris-Roubaix at the weekend.