Cycling threatens to sell out
Dark desert shadow hangs over the Tour de France
7/4/2023 1:22 p.m
The influence of government support from the Middle East is also growing in cycling. The differences between the teams grow noticeably. Bora-hansgrohe team boss Denk is in favor of a 50+1 rule like in football. But he does not rule out a sale to foreign investors.
The special jersey for the anniversary is back in the bags at Bora-hansgrohe. On the occasion of the tenth participation in the Tour de France, the German cycling racing team started in a special outfit at the start of the Great Loop. The light green fabric may no longer be worn – the resemblance to the green jersey of the best on points was too great for the organizer ASO.
The jersey was meant to pay homage to the Bora success story, the rise from second division team to World Tour fixture. However, not all goals were achieved. Team boss Ralph Denk has said goodbye to the dream he formulated a few years ago of having the best team in the world. The economic playing field has changed. New players dominate the business. “We have arrived where football is now,” said Denk.
More and more money is flowing into professional cycling. Above all, it is more and more money from the Middle East. Tour top favorite Tadej Pogacar is priceless for most teams. He has a long-term and well-paid contract with UAE Emirates. The Kingdom of Bahrain (Bahrain Victorious) has chances of stage wins. And Saudi Arabia, which is pumping billions into world sport, is also increasing its power in the peloton.
Desert scratcher Neom will soon be involved too
In the case of the Jayco AlUla team, the desert state is already involved as a co-eponym. But the major attack is still to come: Saudi Arabia is said to be taking over the currently best racing team, Jumbo-Visma, via the Neom City urban development project for the coming season.
Superstars like Tour title holder Jonas Vingegaard or all-rounder Wout van Aert could become rolling advertising figures for the Saudis. The trend of exploding team budgets and increasing economic gaps between the teams is likely to only increase.
Bora-hansgrohe relies on a classic operating company and is primarily financed through sponsorship contracts. In terms of budget, the Raublinger racing team is in the middle. The most important sponsors Bora and hansgrohe have committed themselves to 2027. And then?
Similar discussions also in football
“Cycling is changing, just like football,” said Denk. He does not fundamentally rule out cooperation with financiers from the Middle East, after all, DAX companies also have holdings in these regions.
“Of course I have to keep my eyes open to see whether we can keep up with the best teams in the medium term with this construct with which we are currently set up,” said Denk: “That’s my job. I would be naïve to say: The business model Bora- hansgrohe, that’s the way it is now and it will stay that way for the next ten years.”
In a market that is currently hardly controlled, the world association UCI could counteract this. Denk has in mind “a kind of 50+1 like in German football”. A budget cap or a draft rule like in US sports are also exciting ideas for more equal opportunities among the teams. “There are ways to regulate. The question is: does our world association want that? Or do they want the highest possible team budget?” said Denk.