The race organizers actually don't care about the bikes or sponsors the same way. The race organizers (at the world tour level) have a solid income stream. T

The race organizers actually don't care about the bikes or sponsors the same way. The race organizers (at the world tour level) have a solid income stream. The biggest races are bigger than the World Tour and are older, and will still be around when the current World Tour setup folds. It is the teams that are begging for money, all the teams need sponsorships for bikes and everything else. Teams in cycling have no home stadium and have no place they own and can sell tickets. They aren't in control of TV rights or anything like that for races that are big enough to be televised. It's one of the unique things in cycling. Even at the grassroots levels clubs were often volunteer but race organizers might have been or are for-profit. Even at the grassroots level the organizer charges entry fees.