Cyclist
What could OneCycling mean for pro cycling?
First unearthed in 2023, the Saudi-backed OneCycling project has been picking up speed in recent months. The reformed cycling ‘super league’ has been officially registered as a company and sources suggest that OneCycling’s launch could even come in the next few weeks.
As a new format, OneCycling is hoped to reinvigorate pro road cycling by offering a new economic model for the sport. The $300-million plan would see the creation of new series of city-centre races that would pit the world’s best riders against one another around the globe all-year round. With 13 teams on board already, cycling CEOs have been busy negotiating the plans with the Saudi investors in the hope of establishing a profitable asset to the cycling calendar.
Some have described it as a breakaway league, however UCI chief David Lappartient has outlined that this will not be the case, underlining the importance of coinciding the races with the current UCI calendar. Lappartient has also emphasised that OneCycling would fall within the UCI’s remit, avoiding a situation similar to the Saudi LIV Golf League that saw the sport split in two.
With OneCycling looming, we’ll detail what we know so far about the plans, what it could mean for the sport and what the positives could be for teams, riders and fans alike.
What is OneCycling and who is funding it?
OneCycling is a proposed cycling ‘super league’, not too dissimilar to football’s Saudi-funded European Super League that was launched to much disgruntlement in 2021. The series would feature a calendar of criterium-style races featuring the sport’s top teams and riders. It has not yet been revealed where these races could take place, but F1-style circuits have been proposed.
In terms of funding, the project is reportedly backed by Saudian Arabian group SURJ Sports Investments, a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). The budget for the project is reported to be $300-million according to research undertaken by Reuters and EY. Teams would receive cash to compete in the league, offering a new revenue stream outside of team sponsorship, which currently makes up the most part of team inflows.
As for the project’s objectives, OneCycling forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, a multi-faceted investment project with the goal of improving the Middle Eastern country’s cultural footing on the global stage, particularly through sport. Other aspects of the plan include the Saudi Grand Prix, the country’s successful 2034 FIFA World Cup bid and a fleet of big-budget infrastructure projects such as Neom City (also known as The Line). Neom City was previously reported to be in discussions with Visma-Lease a Bike concerning potential team sponsorship, but this has been squashed over the past year as the OneCycling plans took shape.
Who is rumoured to be involved?
Thirteen teams have showed interest in the OneCycling project. Women’s teams are also expected to be included, but this has still to be ironed out after having been omitted in opening discussions held in 2022 and 2023.
The project’s staunchest advocate has been Visma-Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge. When the story initially broke in 2023, Plugge was optimistic about the project’s future, saying, ‘It’s obvious that cycling is a sleeping giant and deserves an improved business model for all stakeholders, but especially for WorldTour teams.’
A handful of other teams have been mentioned in discussions, including EF Education-EasyPost, Soudal-QuickStep, Ineos Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. In particular, EF Education-EasyPost and Soudal-QuickStep have acted as key negotiators in getting this project across the line. Alongside these more enthusiastic supporters, Picnic-PostNL, Bahrain Victorious, Movistar, Lotto and XDS-Astana are also likely to back the plans.
OneCycling has already been registered in the UK on Companies House – the government site used to register business records in the UK. The company, known formally as OneCycling Limited, had its paperwork approved in December using an address just next to St James’s Park in Westminster. The only name on the files is Plugge who is registered as company director, and the only shareholder mentioned is Yellow B Cycling, the name of Visma-Lease a Bike’s wider sports organisation.
Jayco-AlUla and the pocket of French WorldTour teams have stood against the proposal, as have race organisers ASO and RCS, who run all three Grand Tours as well as a host of Monuments and smaller one-day and stage races. That said, Flanders Classics, the team behind Belgium’s biggest cobbled Classics, is said to be on board.
ASO’s boss Christian Prudhomme has already stated that the OneCycling plans ‘don’t interest’ him. As Tour de France chief, Prudhomme will be at odds with a new set of races that could threaten the century-long foothold the Tour has in the sport.
What could the races look like?
The proposed calendar for OneCycling is under wraps for the moment. However we have some clues of what it could look like.
Several sources have revealed that the series would focus on short circuits, most likely in city centres. This circuit approach would allow tickets and VIP packages to be sold in the finish areas as well as some lucrative spots along the race route. Speaking to Escape Collective, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s DS Ralph Denk revealed that ticketing would allow ‘a return on investment’ for those involved.
Likewise, fans being concentrated in one area would be another opportunity to increase revenue in host cities and improve the fan experience as they’ll get to see the race multiple times in one day. This model is similar to that of the UCI Road World Championships, which are often concentrated on one city or host region.
Regardless of the plans, OneCycling won’t challenge the Grand Tours. There are no alternative three-week races planned as of yet, nor would they interfere with the UCI World Championships. The current plans suggest that OneCycling would only feature one-day races instead of leaning into the stage race format.
What does it mean for streaming and broadcasting?
It’s unknown what the situation will look like for us watching at home. Currently, race organisers negotiate with TV stations to sell off the rights for those races. In some countries – France for instance – certain races are required to be shown on free-to-air channels, while the others are usually offered to subscription-based channels such as Discovery.
Talks of reforming broadcast rights have been swirling in the sport for the past couple of years, but OneCycling offers a critical turning point. Given that this will be a new entity, OneCycling’s honchos will have to negotiate a new broadcast deal for their races. Similar to professional football leagues, teams are likely to receive a cut of the broadcast rights.
If SURJ’s other sporting ventures are anything to go by, there’s a chance that the racing could be broadcast on a different platform. The Saudi firm is reported to have established a new broadcast deal for Saudi football – including the 2034 FIFA World Cup – with streaming platform Dazn. The site, which costs £89.99 for an annual subscription in the UK, now hosts lower-tier English football, boxing events and NFL matches, but is yet to branch into cycling.
What are the benefits of OneCycling?
Revenue is the top priority when it comes to OneCycling. From what we know about the project so far, teams would be able to earn a cut of the $300 million budget if they sign up to the series. SURJ Sports has done this in the past to incentivise athletes to compete in its Saudi-backed sporting spectacles. On top of this, they would be able to gain extra cash from TV rights and ticket sales and it is also likely that they could also receive a cut of the revenue from the events.
Fundamentally, this would reform the way in which cycling teams make a profit, expanding the business model away from the fairly unstable sponsorship model that the sport has adopted for decades. Sponsors, therefore, would not be the only financial kingmakers in pro cycling. As a result, teams and riders may experience more financial ability as a result of OneCycling’s creation.
One argument at the core of this ‘super league’ movement is that the series would allow the world’s top riders to race against one another on a more frequent basis. Currently, only the Tour de France and Monuments allow for this to happen, but with more investment to incentivise riders, the project’s supporters hope to draw in in the sport’s top names. With this, OneCycling would have a one-up on plenty of WorldTour races if we have the likes of Pogačar and Vingegaard battling it out each month on this new stage. In terms of sustaining the business model and getting more eyes on the events, these top-level clashes would be fundamental in growing OneCycling’s programme and revenue.
What are the negative aspects of OneCycling?
With an overhauled calendar and different race format proposed, some critics have argued that OneCycling could threaten the century-old model used in pro cycling. OneCycling has not necessarily threatened the traditional calendar of Grand Tours and Monuments, but this new system could devalue the well-established race circuit and WorldTour system.
Ticketing race finishes and roadside spots have also come under fire. Cycling has long been a free-to-watch sport in person, so this could add an extra financial barrier for fans wanting to attend the races. With ticketed access and VIP spots said to be available at OneCycling races, this may also damage the fan atmosphere at these events.
Of course, a discussion arises when considiering Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the deal. Although Vision 2030 includes a set of social reforms to allow women more liberties in Saudi Arabia, the nation bankrolling this project still has a questionable human rights record, particularly when it comes to free speech, workers’ rights and LGBTQ+ matters. Some proponents also consider the project to be sportswashing given its involvement in the Vision 2030 plans to utilise cultural platforms in order to improve Saudi Arabia’s perception on the world stage. These criticisms have also been launched towards the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid, its increased interest in combat sports and F1 as a way to project a Western image.
Other bidders could come on board, but the negotiations with SURJ have been ongoing for several years and it is unlikely that a European backer could rustle up the $300-million sum proposed by the state’s private investment fund.
The unknown aspects
Many aspects of OneCycling are still unknown. The discussions have been tightly guarded by its key negotiatiors and there have been no official announcements made by SURJ or the new OneCycling Limited discussing the new cycling ‘super league’.
It is currently undisclosed how the current UCI framework will interact with OneCycling. In principle, the governing body’s rules will be enforced when it comes to rider safety and sanctions, however the question of UCI points has not been addressed as of yet. If a team faces relegation from the WorldTour, they may still be invited to compete in OneCycling if they sign up to the project.
Schedules may also clash. In theory, OneCycling could organise races at the same time as current WorldTour events given that they are different entities. Although ASO is sceptical of the plans, OneCycling could schedule a race to coincide with the Tour de France, perhaps encouraging a bidding war for some of the most exciting headline riders.
There are also some question marks to be addressed on the women’s side. The consensus is growing that they will be involved in the new plans, but currently only teams with both men and women’s squads are sat at the negotiating table. The likes of FDJ-Suez, Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto and SD Worx-Protime – all of which are standalone women’s teams – have not entered the ring to discuss their place in the OneCycling project.
When could it happen?
Reports have speculated that OneCycling’s launch is imminent, with some suggesting that it could happen when the Middle Eastern races take over during February with the likes of the UAE Tour, Tour of Oman and Saudi Arabia’s flagship race the AlUla Tour.
Although the announcement may come soon, the roll-out of its first season would take place at a later date. Logically, this would most likely happen in 2026, coinciding with the new UCI points cycle on both the men’s and women’s side.
In an interview with SportsPro in December, SURJ Investments’ CEO Danny Townsend stated that the firm are ‘very close to announcing’ projects he describes as ‘transformational for the sports [they’re] investing in’. With OneCycling being one of the projects they’ve been negotiating over the past year and a half, this statement could allude to the imminent announcement of the new cycling venture.
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