Movistar, red alert! The sponsor of the historic Spanish team is evaluating a possible early exit from cycling. These are not just rumors—Bloomberg, the world-leading multinational in financial and technological information, reports it: Telefónica, Movistar's parent company, has indeed renewed its sponsorship contract until 2029, but has allegedly tasked the sports marketing agency YouFirst-Gersh with finding a buyer or co-sponsor who can take over in part or in full the sponsorship commitment of the cycling group with its men's and women's teams.

The decision is part of a broader cost-reduction and strategic refocusing plan that Telefónica—one of the world's largest fixed and mobile telecommunications companies, operating primarily in Spain and Latin America—has decided to pursue.

News that should give pause for thought and especially should sound like a warning bell in Aigle: the Spanish team is not the only one facing a similar situation. At least three other WorldTour teams are struggling with the hunt for new sponsors, but it is the high-level cycling model desired by the UCI that, after so much criticism, is beginning to show serious cracks.