Can a professional cyclist be self-employed while taking orders from a team director?
“Close the gap before the climb.” Imagine hearing that in your earpiece with a teammate on your wheel. The team director has spotted a move up the road, and you have seconds to respond. The instruction tells you what the team needs in that moment. To understand the rider’s working relationship, it helps to look at what happens after the finish.
The men’s WorldTour rules allow teams to engage self-employed riders where the applicable law permits it, and they set conditions for pay and insurance. So who sets the rider’s training schedule between races? Can the rider negotiate an extra commitment? Who bears the cost if an injury keeps them off the bike? Together, those details help show how much independence the rider has in practice and who carries the financial risk. UCI Road Regulations, Article 2.15.115 bis
When can a rider follow team orders and still be self-employed?
Yes. A professional cyclist can follow tactical instructions during a race and still be self-employed. Under Dutch law, what matters is how much control the team has over the working relationship as a whole. If the team can also dictate the rider’s training, availability and duties throughout the season, that points towards employer authority. The rider’s freedom to negotiate commitments and the commercial risk they actually bear can weigh in favour of self-employment.
How far does the team director’s authority reach?
On race day, riders need to coordinate. A call to chase a breakaway helps the team respond to a situation that can change in seconds. Now picture a quieter day between races. Who decides how the rider trains? Can the team add a promotional appearance to the calendar? If the rider has another commitment, can they decline or negotiate a different date?
Those quieter moments can tell us as much about the working relationship as the radio call. They show where the team can make decisions for the rider and where the rider still has a say. Belastingdienst guidance on authority and working relationships
What does the rider’s fee have to cover?
The UCI sets minimum remuneration for self-employed riders at 164% of the relevant amount in the joint agreement and requires evidence of specified insurance cover. To compare offers, a rider would want to know what they have to pay out of that fee and what their contract and insurance provide if an injury keeps them off the bike. UCI Road Regulations, Article 2.15.115 bis
A rider may pay significant costs themselves and still give the team considerable say over their schedule. Looking at the money shows who bears the financial consequences. Looking at the calendar shows who gets to make decisions about the work.
How would Dutch law weigh those facts?
Where Dutch law applies, Article 7:610 of the Dutch Civil Code defines employment by reference to work, remuneration and authority. In Deliveroo (ECLI:NL:HR:2023:443), the Dutch Supreme Court held that the circumstances must be assessed together. Relevant factors include how the work is organised, how it fits into the client’s organisation and who bears commercial risk. In Uber (ECLI:NL:HR:2025:319), the Court confirmed that entrepreneurial activity outside the assignment can also matter and that the factors have no fixed hierarchy.
What does this look like in a freelance assignment?
Think of a freelance sound engineer on a live broadcast. The director calls the cues, and the engineer decides how to deliver the sound. A few months later, the client starts putting the engineer on the weekly staff rota, assigning tasks between broadcasts and requiring approval for changes in availability.
To someone watching the broadcast, the collaboration looks exactly as it did on day one. The change shows up on Monday morning, when the engineer opens the rota and finds that someone else has planned their week.
Conclusion
A rider can follow a team director’s instructions and still be self-employed where the applicable law permits it. The call to close a gap tells you what the team needs in that moment. To assess the working relationship, look across the season. Who sets the rider’s schedule, what can the rider negotiate, and who bears the cost if they cannot race?
The same perspective helps when a freelance assignment evolves. If work that once had to be agreed separately starts appearing on the weekly rota, it’s time to review how the relationship works in practice.
What should clients and freelancers check in practice?
Pick a recent instruction. Was it about coordinating the assignment, or did it also determine the freelancer’s methods, schedule or duties?
Check what happens when work is interrupted. Read the payment and insurance terms together to see who bears the cost.
Compare the original scope with a typical week. If the freelancer now covers recurring team duties, review the service agreement and how the work is organised in practice.
Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or employment advice. Labor and classification regulations (such as the Dutch Wet DBA and EU directives) are highly complex, fact-specific, and subject to frequent changes and changing administrative policies. Reading this content does not create an attorney-client or advisory relationship with Zooly. Before making any decisions regarding contractor engagement, compliance frameworks, or classification policies, you should always consult a qualified local employment lawyer or tax professional. Zooly accepts no liability for any actions taken or decisions made based on the information provided on our website.
Editorial Note & AI Disclosure
In compliance with Article 50 of the EU AI Act, we disclose that artificial intelligence (AI) tools were utilized to assist in compiling, legal screening, and drafting this content. However, to ensure absolute legal precision and contextual accuracy regarding compliance topics, the final text has undergone full human editorial review and rigorous manual verification by the Zooly compliance team before publication.
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