The One Cycling challenge is lastly anticipated to be introduced within the subsequent few weeks, however after being initially dubbed a ‘breakaway league’ and grand plans to create new modern races, One Cycling is more likely to fall underneath UCI rules and the management of UCI President David Lappartient.
Saudi Arabian SURJ Sports Investment fund is anticipated to speculate $300 million in a brand new firm that may have lots of the main groups as shareholders, together with Belgian race organiser Flanders Classics and probably others. Tour de France organisers ASO have all the time stated they’re in opposition to the creation of One Cycling.
Information on the One Cycling challenge has been stored underneath wraps after groups and race organisers signed legally binding non-disclosure agreements. However, the groups at the moment are bullish {that a} launch is imminent.
SURJ chief government Danny Townsend advised SportsPro in December stated Saudi Arabian investments in new sports activities could be introduced “within the subsequent couple of months.”
“We’ve been engaged on a few of the offers that we’re near closing for over 12 months now. We’re actually excited by those that we’re very near saying, and I feel as soon as we announce them, the market will see that they’re transformational for the sports activities we’re investing in.”
The Escape Collective reported that One Cycling could launch in a matter of weeks and Cyclingnews has heard comparable info from a number of sources. A supply advised Escape Collective that Townsend’s feedback “correlates with every thing that’s happening.”
This week SURJ introduced a strategic partnership with Enfield Investment Partners following the US funding agency’s launch of a $4 billion world sports activities asset fund. SURJ can also be reported to be on the verge of creating a $1 billion funding into the Dazn sports activities streaming platform. Dazn will broadcast the troubled FIFA Club World Cup without spending a dime this summer time, whereas Saudi Arabia was named because the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
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One Cycling’s preliminary plans concerned creating new races and shaking up the precarious enterprise mannequin {of professional} biking. Now One Cycling is anticipated to work with chosen current race organisers to attempt to monetize biking followers in new and other ways.
These might embrace extra circuit finishes at races and so VIP areas that cost followers to observe the motion in the very best factors of the races whereas providing food and drinks. Flanders Classics does this at its greatest races and the Cyclocross World Cup.
Cyclingnews understands that the long-term objectives of One Cycling might even embrace a wage cap and a form of US sports activities ‘draft system for the very best younger rider and funds to growth groups.
Digital expertise and trendy advertising and marketing methods could be harnessed to monetize occasion rights, digital platforms, betting, gamification, merchandising and fan membership.
The One Cycling groups might comply with ship their greatest riders to their accomplice races however this might undermine the WorldTour calendar. The race calendar is ready to be shaken up anyway as a part of wider reforms for the following three-year WorldTour cycle.
Visma-Lease a Bike, EF Education-EasyPost, Soudal-Quickstep, Ineos Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe have lengthy been a part of the challenge, with Bahrain Victorious, Movistar and different groups stated to have joined them. Jayco-Alulla and the main French groups have apparently opted out of the challenge, whereas UAE Team Emirates have remained equi-distant, understanding the significance of excellent relationships with the UCI and ASO.
One supply advised Cyclingnews that not less than 13 main males’s WorldTour groups plus quite a lot of girls’s groups are able to turn out to be shareholders in One Cycling, with preliminary enterprise plans for 3 and 6 years. Several workforce managers and Flanders Classics CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel are stated to be main the challenge.
One Cycling began as a potential breakaway league however has steadily developed right into a UCI-approved plan.
“The UCI desires to step up as do a number of main race organisers,” a supply advised Cyclingnews.
“We know we will not instantly flip biking into the NBA however we will take a step up in three years after which in six years attain a last goal.”
Visma-Lease a Bike workforce supervisor Richard Pugge, who was one of many unique creators of the One Cycling challenge, advised that Lappartient is able to give One Cycling the inexperienced mild as he seeks very important votes to turn out to be the following International Olympic Committee president.
A extra united sport, boosted by $300 million from Saudi Arabia may very well be the Frenchman’s legacy.
Lappartient was at first of the Women’s Tour Down Under in Australia on Friday and spoke to the media, together with Cyclingnews, about One Cycling.
“There are ongoing discussions with varied stakeholders, not the total settlement, in fact, however for us, there are some pink strains,” Lappartient made clear.
“The pink line is that we don’t need to have a breakaway league, we don’t need to have a personal league, and we need to be sure that we respect races just like the Tour Down Under which might be right here for years.
“We know that the financial mannequin of biking might be improved. We know that the facility of biking might be larger than this however we additionally need the discussions to be underneath the umbrella of the UCI.
“I’ve met varied stakeholders. They are usually not in full settlement, as chances are you’ll know, however we agreed on the final WorldTour seminar (in November 2024) that we’ve to take a seat all collectively and to search out one of the simplest ways to do that. We don’t need races to pay three or 4 occasions extra, that’s what’s key for us.
“The discussions have to be with groups, riders, organizers, underneath the umbrella of the UCI. But we aren’t, on the date of at the moment, on the level of an settlement.”