Bobbie Traksel's plans to create a new continental team for unemployed Dutch and Belgian riders that should help to bridge the gap to 2015 when several new teams are expected to improve the difficult market, will not come to fruition. The Dutch rider was unable to secure the necessary funding and has not sent in the necessary documentation to the UCI.

With 5 professional team folding at the end of the season, times are difficult for many professional riders. In the off-season, the news have been dominated by stories about riders complaining about their difficulties of finding a new team or rider throwing in the towel and ending their career.

One positive story on the flurry of negative headlines was the plan by president of the Dutch riders' union Bobbie Traksel to create a new continental team. With Oleg Tinkov and Fernando Alonso likely to create new teams for 2015, things are expected to improve and so Traksel wanted to provide an opportunity for unemployed Dutch and Belgian riders to keep their career going in the difficult 2014 season.

Last week, Traksel explained that he had secured funding for 525,000 euros of the needed 600,000 euros. Still needing 75,000 euros to go on with the project, he made Thursday his deadline to find the necessary money.

Unfortunately, he has been unable to find the needed backing and as several verbal commitments have also been broken, the project won't go on. Hence, Traksel and riders like Wouter Mol, Bert-Jan Lindeman and Reinier Honig now find themselves in a very uncertain position.

Earlier this week, Honig had expressed his hope that the new team would provide him with an opportunity to continue his career, revealing that he would receive a minimal salary of 750 euros. Naturally, the Dutchman is extremely disappointed with the news.

"This is very disappointing," he told local media. "I expected much from this opportunity. I have no plan B, I hope something happens."

Among the 5 professional teams to fold, two are from Belgium or the Netherlands, and so there are several unemployed riders from the two Benelux countries.