Call for 2026 Racing Team Squad Members

Are you in?

For five seasons, Brussels Unchained cyclists have competed in the BCF League.

We started five years ago with a partnership involving the cycling group Les Barriques. Having had so much fun, we were able to field in 2022 an extraordinary three teams on our own, one men, and two women team for the 2022 season. In 2023, our Jeannekes and Stoefers teams achieved sprint greatness and bagged several distinctive jerseys throughout the season. In 2024, our new Mannekes racing team secured the green sprinter's jersey for most of the season and held the points jersey too! In 2025, Our Stoefers and Jeannekes teams secured the black jersey for Brussels Unchained, the fastest classifications for cyclists of the peloton who are +35.

In 2026, we are resurrecting our Women's Pro Peloton Team: the Zinnekes, and our ambitions are to secure distinctive jerseys for each of our teams, will you help our leaders achieve that and bring glory to our name?

What's the Bonneville Cycling Federation?

Bonneville Cycling Federation is an amateur cycling league that puts the emphasis on sports, passion, and fun. They offer a unique combination of competition and camaraderie. It's a great middle ground between those who want to push themselves further but know they might not be ready for the competitive lifestyle required to perform on the amateur UCI races organised in Belgium. If you've ever wondered what being in a cycling race is like, this is a wonderful way to do it.

We're now opening our selection process for the 2026 BCF squad. Note that we also have an open racing team for those who cannot commit fully to the BCF calendar.

For next year, we're hoping to field two men's Continental (30+ in a hilly race) and Provincial teams (28+km/h in a hilly race), and two women's Pro (28+ in a hilly race) and Continental team (they target speeds of 23 km/h and up). That means we have slots for 20 men and 20 women to fly our colours at BCF races. Each of teams is led by a veteran racing team captain familiar with the BCF and can therefore guide the team to success.

Most importantly, we are looking for reliable team members, able to commit to a demanding racing and training schedule, and able to contribute actively to team spirit consistently during the spring and summer season whilst getting fit over the winter.

What's in store for you?

Participating at the BCF means joining a well respected team in the Peloton known for its international dimension and the cohesiveness across our teams. If you've experienced our fast Tuesdays ride and enjoyed them, then joining our racing team is simply a bit more of that!

In 2026, the BCF organised 9 races and 2 virtual challenges (Strava segments that we must hit in each month). They organise photos, and safety escorts, .gpx tracks... just like the UCI races! The dates of the 2026 Season have been announced on the BCF website.

At an extra fee, there's also an amazing cycling vacation, the Tour/Giro, which is a multi-day race featuring stages just like a Tour de France. It's a unique experience to live, dream, and sleep

We've had an interesting season, with our Jeannekes and Stoefers bagging the black jersey by the end of the season! This is a huge win, with the previous season being bathed in green for our Mannekes.

For 2026, we're hoping to improve the regularity of training for our teams. So that means we're looking for racers who have a good level of fitness and riding capability, and are willing to train approximately 1x per week alongside the racing schedule in order to ensure we achieve the best collective performance possible.

We also organise at the start of the year, a professional photoshoot for all team members, and we like to organise a training camp before the season really ramps up in April. Great turnout for both really solidify our team spirits.

Great sponsorships in the making...

We also have been able to create new partnerships with a great set of sponsors who are offering amazing discounts for the whole community.

For 2026, we're looking to see if they can help us meet some of the financial costs we face as a racing team to participate in the league which would hopefully lower the total costs each of us would have to pay, but this is still work in progress. So until then...

Some costs to factor in:

Unlike most of our Brussels Unchained activities, participating in the racing team bears a certain cost for all team members.

If you're interested in participating, here are some key figures:

• Individual participation cost in the league of €365 for a full participant

This covers the participation fees in 10 races and additional virtual races, and other activities. It does not cover transportation to and from the events. It also excludes all costs of the Grand Tours.

• 2026 team kit costs approximately €70 for a personalised jersey, and €160 for a full jersey and bib combo, and possibilities to get additional items.

Our custom-designed team kit is produced by Givelo.cc a top cycling fashion brand with whom we have collaborated for years. Our jersey designs are recognised each year as being among the most beautiful in the BCF peloton!

As mentioned, in 2026, the plan is to potentially organise Brussels Unchained exclusive photoshoot the week prior to the start of the Nationals, and a training camp on the weekend of 19 April 2026 and another in the summertime, and secure access to professional coaching to improve our results. These would be additional optional costs to factor for racing team members.

So are you pumped... Are you in?

If so, fill out this form with all the details we need and confirm your participation before the 26th October 2025 midnight so that we can get the best preparation underway to turn you into the next amateur Marianne or Remco (or insert your favourite cyclist here).