Cycling’s leading teams have announced the creation of Velon – a UK-based joint venture intended to drive the future development and growth of the sport.
The Team Sky principal, Sir Dave Brailsford, played a key role in the formation of the group, which sees Sky team up with Belkin Pro Cycling, BMC Racing Team, Garmin-Sharp, Lampre-Merida, Lotto-Belisol, Omega Pharma-Quick-Step, Orica-GreenEDGE, Team Giant-Shimano, Tinkoff-Saxo and Trek Factory Racing.
Brailsford said: “Collaboration is the cornerstone to positive change and this is very exciting for professional cycling. It’s a big step towards the sport reaching its full potential. The teams involved in creating Velon have come together with a powerful shared vision to optimise the sport and develop new ways for it to grow.
“If the teams unite and work collectively to make cycling better to watch and easier to understand, it’s to everyone’s benefit. It will encourage more fans to follow the sport.”
The group will push for changes to the race calendar to develop a “season-long story” which engages fans beyond individual races. Velon has already been working behind the scenes, and played a key role in the introduction of on-bike cameras this season in order to enhance television coverage.
Jonathan Vaughters, the chief executive of Slipsteam Sports and the soon to be rebranded Team Garmin-Sharp, said: “There has been a group of teams collaborating for some time about how we can – by working together – shape the future of the sport.
“Facilitating the use of on-bike cameras during racing was our first major step and now, as a formal cooperative, we will be able to continue to create even more opportunities to grow the sport we all love and make it more accessible to our fans. This is particularly exciting for our organisation as we look ahead to 2015 as Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling.”
Graham Bartlett, formerly of Uefa, Nike and Liverpool, is the chief executive, with a brief to develop innovative ideas which will grow the sport and create a more stable economic model for teams.
“The existing sponsor-only business model is fragile for all teams,” Bartlett said. “We need to change this to a more rounded one with fans at the heart of it. Investing in new technologies generates greater excitement and brings the sport closer to its supporters.
“What we’re trying to build will hopefully create a virtuous circle where it’s easier for fans to engage with teams and riders, and gives the teams greater incentives to maintain credibility.”
Team Sky’s Chris Froome said: “As we can see from official figures the popularity of cycling continues to grow. More people want to ride and as we saw from the incredible support in the UK this year at the Tour de France more want to be involved in the sport. With the development of Velon, it will allow the teams to work together and help find new innovations to grow the sport, keep fans excited and attract new followers.”
