'We are certainly not doomed' – Thibau Nys and Lucinda Brand's cyclo-cross team in mid-season sponsor search after co-title sponsor pulls out

Sven Nys’ cyclo-cross team will be searching for a new title sponsor as Glowi, owner of cleaning agency Het Poetsbureau, is set to withdraw from its sponsorship deal at the end of this year.

Glowi took up a multi-year co-sponsorship of the team at the start of 2025, but the company had an option to withdraw at the end of each year.

“That option has now been exercised,” Sven Nys, who runs the Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions team, told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.

The team currently have eight riders on their roster across the men’s and women’s elite and under-23 ranks, including recently-crowned European champions Thibau Nys and Lucinda Brand, and Annemarie Worst and Pim Ronhaar.

Thibau’s father Sven said Glowi’s decision to withdraw from sponsorship is unrelated to team results. Het Laatste Nieuws reports that the company is facing its own difficulties.

“We built an incredibly good relationship with the people from Glowi and Het Poetsbureau, where I myself used to give cycling clinics to cleaning staff in all provinces. They were happy with our performance, and we gave them enormous visibility,” Nys said.

“[The decision] is also completely unrelated to our team. They made a decision, and we respect it.”

A mid-season distraction

The team will continue with Baloise on board until the end of the 2027-28 cyclo-cross season, though they're now searching for a new co-title sponsor, with a contract set to begin mid-season.

"At a more difficult time for us than for a road team. Because we are in the middle of a cyclo-cross season and the contracts run until January 1. That leaves us in a tight spot," Nys said.

"In 2026, that applies to cycling in general and to every team looking for potential new partners. Unfortunately, in this sport, you are never all set.

"Companies that believe in us and 'want' to invest are our only income. It is a constant matter of keeping your feelers out. Discussions are ongoing. But you don't get something like this arranged in a few months."

'Not doomed'

Nys said that the team isn't in danger of disappearing from the cyclo-cross peloton this season.

He also denied that sports marketing and event company Golazo, which runs several cyclo-cross races and contributes to the team's youth structure and Sven Nys Academy, will step up to contribute to the senior squad.

"That is not true. We are part of 'the house', and they will of course continue to support us. But not in the way it is being suggested. No extra money will certainly need to be injected. In that respect, everything is covered for next year," he said.

"In the meantime, we have already found several additional shirt partners, who will be announced in the coming weeks. This means that we are already making concrete future plans.

"We are certainly not doomed. And we are diligently continuing our search... with the strong relationship with Golazo as a reliable foundation."

The road season might be at an end, but Cycling News isn't slowing down. Subscribe for unlimited access to our comprehensive news coverage, industry-leading CN Labs testing, expert columnists, and so much more. Plus, the Cycling News app means you can stay up-to-date wherever you go!