Tourist
For years there have been attempts to change the business model of professional cycling. The latest project is called “One cycling“. The World Association UCI now threatens the participants with license withdrawal.
This time the Circus Tour de France stopped in Muret. In the center of the small town south of Toulouse there is a huge hustle and bustle in the morning: im Village Départ the invited guests are tasted. Meanwhile, the common people cheered the advertising caravans, which drives through the streets with large roar and distributes small gifts.
The move of the Tour de France sponsors is actually a relic from the past. The caravan has been driving the cycling athletes since 1930. The tour operator who Amaury Sport Organization (Asso), the places can be paid well from their advertising partners, who are not only present in the caravan.
Only part of the income goes to the teams
This is part of your income. But of course the ASO has long since made its money primarily when marketing the global TV rights. The Tour de France, the largest and most important bike race in the world, is broadcast in 190 countries. The family reveals how much sales are made Amaury does not belong. Estimates assume up to 170 million euros, the profit should amount to around 30 million euros.
What is certain is that the ASO only passes on part of its income to the main actors, the bike teams and their drivers. 2.3 million euros in prize money will be distributed on the tour this year. 500,000 euros of it go to the winner of the yellow jerseys, who usually distributes the victory bonus in his team.
“A fragile business model”
The 23 teams hardly benefit directly from their participation in the largest cycling spectacle in the world. They are dependent on their own sponsors, which in turn Return on investment Make the tour because the visibility there is greatest.
“This is an extremely fragile business model”says Jonathan VaughtersHead of the team EF Education-Easy Postin conversation with the sports show. “There is no other professional sport in the world that is the case with.” In other sports, sponsorship is only the icing on the financial cake, which mainly consists of revenue from TV rights and merchandising, says Vaughters. “In cycling we try to only eat the frosting.”
For many years there have been efforts to create a new business model for cycling, the teams that are more independent of temporary sponsorship contracts. The American Vaughters refers to the example of National Football League (NFL). There, there are only the competition between the teams on the pitch, but the business is operated together.
On the other hand, there are many different interests in cycling. The racing organizers such as the ASO are a separate branch of business and the teams are also all on their own. “From a business perspective, we waste a lot of time and energy to compete with each other instead of presenting a sport.thinks Vaughters.
“One Cycling” is supported by Saudi Arabia
“One Cyling” – A cycling – then fittingly also means the latest project that tries to put cycling on other business feet. In addition to EF Education-Easy Post, eleven teams also have the German team in it Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe and as well as the Dutch Equipe team Visual–Lease a bike and racing organizers like Flanders Classicsthe organizer of the Flanders Tour.
The project wants to open up new marketing options for cycling. Support comes from the sports investment company Surj, which belongs to the Saudi Arabian investment fund PIF. Surj allegedly wants to head up to 300 million euros. The participants must not give details, they all signed a confidentiality clause. However, the core of the idea is apparently their own racing series, in which the top drivers are mandatory, the TV rights are to be marketed centrally and entry fees on the route are to be requested.
However, the project threatens to fail before it even started. The UCI cycling association explained the project in June after talks with representatives of One Cycling “Don’t be compatible with the rules of the UCI” And there is a lack of “Sporty coherence”.
Threat of the UCI president
In a letter to the parties involved in One Cyling, UCI President was David Lappartant Now even clearer: the creation of such a project would “Create connections between World Tour teams and organizers of World Tour race in a way that, in contrast to the rules of the UCI,” states and therefore prohibited, the letter dated July 17, which the sports show could see.
UCI President David Lappartient
Such a connection would also result in a potential conflict of interest, Lapp -Artient writes and threatens to serious consequences: the pursuit of the project without permission could mean that both the races involved and the teams could be withdrawn their license. Basically, however, the UCI President decides on his letter, the World Association welcomes all efforts to strengthen cycling structurally and economically.
Most of the teams involved in One Cycling do not currently want to comment on the letter and the future of the project. “No comment”Says at Visma-Lease A Bike, the team of the overall turn of the tour Jonas Vingegaard. Ralph Denk the team boss of the German Equipe Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe, only explains that they have been “The writing noted”.
Vaughters: UCI and ASO benefit from instability
For Jonathan Vaughters, however, the UCI reaction is not surprising. Lappartiets threats do not scare him off, he says. For Vaughters, writing is more of an expression of a fundamental attitude towards the teams. That the race stables have to renew their UCI license every three years and not permanently as franchise-For him, an expression of the existing balance of power is for him.
“I now consider the UCI and the ASO as a unit”says Vaughters. The license system is justified by the fact that emerging teams want to give the opportunity to get up. “The real reason is that both UCI and ASO prefer a system in which the teams are unstable and cannot combine and become a power”says Vaughters. “Uci and Asso want the power, the anchor, the monopoly that rules the sport. Instability is good for your business.”
The ASO, which, in addition to the Tour de France, also numerous other important races such as the Spain tour or the classics Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Lüttich organized, refuses to comment on one cycling. “This is not our project”Tour director Christian Prudhomme said when the project became public in early 2024. Everywhere and every time cycling has tried to transform itself alone with money, it went wrong.
The financial scissors keep working
Meanwhile, the UCI insists that every change must “Interests of all members of the cycling family” take into account. The dependence of the teams of sponsors has long since had a sporty effect because the financial gap between teams such as UAE and the smaller teams such as the French team Arkea Samsic keep going.
While UAE has a budget of 60 million euros, Arkea-Samsic has to go with “Something less than 30 million do. Hubert is currently looking for hands for new sponsors who want to finance his team from the coming season. His two previous donors will increase at the end of the season.
Hubert’s team is not involved in One Cycling, but he also demands a joint effort of cycling to reduce economic inequality. “There are things that you have to think about now”explains the Frenchman of the sports show. “You have to sit down at a table quickly, otherwise it could be difficult for teams like mine in the future and they could go under.”
81 season wins for UAE
The financial imbalance goes hand in hand that the winners are becoming more and more common because they gather the best drivers with well -endowed contracts in their teams and now also bind the greatest young talents in the long term.
“Cycling is at a point where you can buy success”says Jonathan Vaughters. Last season, for example, the UAE team, alimented by the United Arab Emirates, won 81 wins. Almost twice as many as the second best team Lidl-Trek, which had 42 successes. Hubert’s racing team ARKEA-Samsic, on the other hand, ran in just nine victories.
The balance of power is also evident on the tour. The day that had started in Muret with so much roar ended in Carcassonne With the stage win of Belgian Tim Wellens – it was already the fifth victory of the UAE team on this tour. And the 64th victory of the team around Tadej Pogacar this season.