CyclistIs the writing on the wall for Picnic-PostNL?Picnic-PostNL feel like a team in freefall. They were staring down the barrel of relegation last season, a year in which they only managed four victories but clung onto WorldTour status by the skin of their teeth. And still, due to undisclosed financial conditions, they were only given an initial one-year licence while everyone else rests easy in the three-year cycle.The standout rider in 2025 was undoubtedly Scotsman Oscar Onley. A shining light in the darkness, he made a big step up in his development into a strong GC rider at just 22 years of age and rode to fourth overall at the Tour de France a huge result for Picnic. Onley didnt stick around though, leaving Picnic for Ineos in a contract buyout that set a new record of just under 6 million, which definitely helped with the teams finances short-term, but it doesnt mean much if the team doesnt perform at all.2026 hasnt got off to a great start. With EF Education-EasyPosts Luke Lamperti winning the opening stage of Paris-Nice, Picnic are now the only team yet to win a this season, and they havent even managed a second place, with Pavel Bittner and Frits Biesterboss thirds at the Volta ao Algarve and AlUla Tour their best results. Things are looking bleak. Related Posts Promotions and relegations update: Which men's teams will move onto the WorldTour in 2026? Vuelta a Espaa 2026 stage-by-stage preview: Six summit finishes, 40km against the clock and a southern focus Giro d'Italia 2026 to have Bulgaria start, Passo Giau Queen Stage and a lot less climbing: Full route breakdown Tour de France 2026 route revealed: Back-to-back Alpe d'Huez summit finishes, Barcelona TTT and Montmartre return AlUla Tour/Tony EsnaultPicnic-PostNL are not a rich team. Far from it, Money in Sport reported the team had almost 20million in losses over the past three years. They cant afford to pay for ready-made Grand Tour winners. Development is key and has been for a while, with a wealth of rising stars having left the team once they proved themselves, but its something of a luxury with a pressing deadline of having to turn the ship around and win now. Theyre stuck between a rock and a hard place.When casting eyes over the current crop of riders on Picnics 2026 roster, there are a few big names well past their heydays in John Degenkolb, Warren Barguil and Fabio Jakobsen and a few young talents who have flirted with a big breakthrough in Max Poole and Pavel Bittner. Theyre one of the most youthful teams in the WorldTour and its the younger riders shouldering a lot of responsibility heading further into 2026. Its hard to see where the next win will come from, is there any hope left?Picking up the slackMax Poole is one of five British riders on the team and is the most ready to fill the gap left by Onley. He enjoyed a fantastic 2024 season finishing seventh overall at the UAE Tour, second at the Vuelta a Burgos, had top three placings on four stages of the Vuelta a Espaa and won the Tour de Langkawi.He started 2025 stronger still, with good results at the Tour of the Alps and an 11th overall finish at the Giro dItalia, but his season was ultimately derailed by the Epstein Barr virus by the summer. Hes back racing in 2026 after six months off, and the 23-year-old is expected to bear the brunt of GC responsibility heading into the Giro dItalia in May. If he can be back to his best, theres no reason that he cant try to crack the top ten.Pavel Bittner is another that shone in 2024, bookending the Vuelta a Burgos with stage wins before winning a dramatic Vuelta sprint against Wout van Aert and coming a close second in another. The Czech rider built on this form in 2025 with top ten finishes at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and Scheldeprijs in the spring, but the only victory he took all year was the Renewi Tour points classification. It wasnt without trying, with fourth and fifth on sprint stages at the Tour de France, but he couldnt quite make that final push. This year Bittner started with third on the opening stage at the Volta ao Algarve, but his next best finish so far is tenth. Hell be hoping to break his duck in the Belgian Classics before taking on Paris-Roubaix and then returning to the Tour in the summer.Sprinter Casper van Uden is another one that could steal a win, having taken a stage at the Giro last year. The issue is having to pick the right races for these riders, and for sprinters not getting it done against the likes of Jonthan Milan, Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen, its best to pick lower level races. So far in 2026 Van Udens best result has been eighth the first stage of the Tour Down Under, and hes barely breached the top 20 apart from that, being deployed as Fabio Jakobsens leadout at the UAE Tour.Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesThe highlight of Frank van den Broeks career was the breakaway perfection alongside then-teammate Romain Bardet on the opening stage of the 2024 Tour. It was a smash and grab raid by the pair who stunned the field to go 1-2 and get Bardet into the yellow jersey. He managed a more conventional second from the breakaway on last season, but other than that his results list isnt eye-catching. If he can go one better at this years Tour it would help the team massively.They do have a few riders starting to show themselves in big races this season. Frits Biesterbos was signed off the back of a second place at the Gravel World Championships in 2025 and had a couple of top tens already, ex-Swatt Club and Zwift Academy contestant Mattia Gaffuri has had a couple of breakaway outings, and Brit Bjorn Koerdt has had consistent top 20s in non-WorldTour races.Their fruitful development team that the likes of Onley and Poole were promoted from is still plugging away too, with Jurgen Zomermaand getting a win and finishing fifth overall at the recent Tour du Rwanda. But with only one year on the WorldTour secure, the focus must remain on the present.This is looking like the last year before retirement for 37-year-old John Degenkolb, winner of ten Vuelta stages, plus both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in 2015. He hasnt won a race since 2020 but still performs at Paris-Roubaix and is an important leader with so many inexperienced riders. Warren Barguil was once tipped to be one of Frances next big hopes, and was the King of the Mountains winner at the 2017 Tour. Its been a while since he was firing on all cylinders, but the 34-year-old is still a vital leader in big races. Sadly he is already sidelined after a crash in February and will be out of action for a while. They cant catch a break.The loss of Oscar Onley could be turned into a positive for Picnic-PostNL if they reinvest the funds correctly, but while tape might stop the boat from leaking, you need wind for it to set sail. With a dire looking financial situation and developing riders still doing exactly that, perhaps a little bit of time and a step down from the WorldTour is whats needed to rejuvenate this once-legendary team.The post Is the writing on the wall for Picnic-PostNL? appeared first on Cyclist.