While I'm posting about the bicycling business...racing is also a minefield. This article peaks behind the curtain: inrng.com/2024/08/exit-team-founders/

"Ag2r La Mondiale told Lavenu they’d buy the team off him for €8,000: not eight million, just eight thousand Euros but with this they’d keep sponsoring the team. Faced with this ultimatum Lavenu had no options...The transaction went through in June 2022"

"this week L’Equipe reported [Lavenu] was given notice of his dismissal at the end of July"