Today 11 WorldTour teams announced the creation of the Velon group whose aim is to create a more sustainable business model for cycling team. Team managers and riders from the 11 teams celebrate the creation of the group which will be led by CEO Graham Bartlett.

 

Below you can read reactions from main riders and team managers from the 11 teams involved in the project: Belkin Pro Cycling, BMC Racing Team, Garmin-Sharp, Lampre-Merida, Lotto-Belisol, Omega Pharma - Quick-Step, Orica-GreenEDGE, Team Giant-Shimano, Team Sky, Tinkoff-Saxo and Trek Factory Racing.

 

Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM, Richard Plugge:

“This group of teams have been talking for some time about how to better shape the future of the sport by collaborating with all other stakeholders. Now, we’ve formally come together to help develop ways for professional cycling to grow, to create long term stability for teams and credible and comprehensive racing. We’ve already made a difference, giving fans better insights and exciting views from inside the race. We want to bring the sport where it belongs, in the hearts and minds of the fans.”

 

Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM, Robert Gesink:

“I feel this collaboration is a great step forward. During the several races last season we have given the fans great images from the on-bike cams and our live stream in the Vuelta. It’s unique to see a great number of World Tour teams working together for the future of the sport, the teams, the riders and the audience. During the race we battle, but after the finish we work as a team for a better future of cycling. It helps building a better structure and financial stability.”

 

Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM, Wilco Kelderman:

“It’s a great initiative to have a transparent and attractive sport for the fans and stakeholders. As a team we have tried to give cycling back to the fans and create an upbeat future over the last few years. Now we can share knowledge with several World Tour teams to take the next steps. I already have given the fans an insight on Strava during the Giro, now we can work on greater initiatives.”

 

BMC Racing Team President/General Manager Jim Ochowicz:

"We have already made a difference, giving fans better insights and exciting views from inside the race. Now, we have formally come together to help develop ways for professional cycling to grow, for the benefit of those already involved and the growing number of those who want to get more deeply involved in this great sport.”

 

BMC Racing Team, Tejay van Garderen:

“Velon is a great way for teams to help cycling fans get closer to the sport they love. It will lead to new technology and create even more exciting racing. Cycling has also needed a way for teams to work together, like they do in other mainstream sports. This is a tremendous first step.”

 

Garmin-Sharp manager Jonathan Vaughters:

“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 organization as we look ahead to 2015 as Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling.”

 

Garmin-Sharp, Andrew Talansky:

"It's great to see teams working so closely together to create an even better future for cycling; and bringing fans closer to the action of the sport we all love. This is an important and exciting initiative." 
 

Lampre-Merida manager Brent Copeland:

“We at Team Lampre-Merida feel that working closely with other WorldTour Teams forming one group, namely Velon, is an important step in the right direction to create even more interest and excitement for the sport of pro cycling, not only for the stability of the sports future but more importantly for the fans”.
 

Lotto Belisol manager Marc Sergeant:
"This is an important step for the progress and development of cycling. The fact that 11 of the 18 WorldTour teams are represented in Velon cannot be ignored. Velon wants to cooperate and look for solutions together with all stakeholders to deal with structural issues like the reform of the calendar, financial stability for the teams, the economic model of cycling, getting a more attractive sport, credibility of cycling,... Lotto Belisol, which becomes Lotto Soudal next year, wants to help within its long-term vision to work on the future of cycling."

 

Lotto Belisol, André Greipel:
"Cycling has evolved a lot in past decades, technically for example. Nonetheless it's important that the sport evolves structurally as well. Much has been told and written about the credibility of the sport, but offering the fan a permanently fascinating sport, raising the attractiveness to get companies interested and take into account the circumstances in which the riders - around whom it revolves - have to perform, are issues that will determine the future of cycling. That the teams are therefore united in Velon, is a good thing."

 

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step, Bessel Kok (Board's Executive Chairman):
“Being the main actors of the sport, this is an excellent achievement for our professional cycling teams to unify and work together in a common way, to defend and mutually increase their commercial interests in the sport. This new commercial structure will allow the teams to develop a range of commercial activities and create additional revenue streams other than traditional sponsorship.”

 

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step, Patrick Lefevere (team’s CEO):
“I am confident this can increase the margin of growth of cycling. The sport is growing year-by-year, and we need new and professional structures to be able to increase and defend our common goals. As teams we are competitors during races. However, outside this world there is a lot we can do together to gain more popularity and to become in the future one of the main sports, considering how many people love professional cycling and people who also use cycling as a recreational activity. The market is huge and this is the first step to improve and to enter into a new era for cycling.”

 

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step, Mark Cavendish:
“It will be important to make our sport even better, more understandable, and more marketable for people outside the cycling world. I believe that this kind of project is important to enlarge our fan base and to increase the awareness of our sport internationally, using, for example, technology as we show in the recent past with on board bike cameras.”

 

Omega Pharma - Quick-step, Tom Boonen:
“I am looking forward to seeing what this can provide for the sport, teams, and the riders. It is important to create greater stability for the teams to give the new generation of cyclists a secure environment in which to develop into the stars of the future. It is exciting to see so many teams now working together to do just that.”

 

Orica-GreenEDGE owner Gerry Ryan:

“This initiative is a real milestone in the development of professional cycling. The teams are coming together to make the sport more attractive as a business by creating new ways for the fans to enjoy all the excitement it has to offer. It is key that the teams take this step together to help the long term strategy of cycling for everyone involved. As a team owner I'm pleased to see that this has now materialized with visible benefits for the sponsors, fans and all the other stakeholders in the sport. We are happy to make a very active contribution to this group.”

 

Orica-GreenEDGE, Simon Gerrans:

“It's great news for cycling that teams are coming together like this. This is a major step that will help in shaping the future of the sport in a way that will benefit the teams, the riders and definitely also the fans. As a team we have always tried to set the bar high when it comes to creating excitement around the races and now we can do that in a group that will help us all to boost the sport even more. The on-bike footage was the perfect way to kick-start this project and we are all looking forward to seeing more initiatives like that”

 

Giant-Shimano general manager Iwan Spekenbrink:

"With a group of teams, we have been working together for some time to improve the future of the sport. Together, we will keep on working on a credible and viable long-term future of the sport in which fans are more and more engaged. Last year, we have had already big success involving the fans, with the use of the on-bike cameras. With this formal cooperation, we will keep on working on these initiatives to involve the fans more deeply in our sport and give the professional sport of cycling a sustainable, long-term future."

 

Giant-Shimano, John Degenkolb:

"Last year, we saw already that the on-board cameras in the races were a great success. The magnitude on positive reactions after my in-race footage show how valuable it can be to involve the fans closely in our great sport. Therefore, it is really satisfying to see that teams are working so closely together to advance the sport of cycling."

 

Giant-Shimano, Marcel Kittel:

"It is really positive to see that teams are working so closely together to advance the sport of cycling. By closely involving the fans in an open environment, our sport will be able to work further on their credibility and long-term future."

 

Giant-Shimano, Tom Dumoulin:

"By making the sport of cycling more accessible and easier to understand for the big crowd, it will be able to reach and activate even more fans around the world. The fact that teams are able to work closely together on this concept, makes it even stronger!"

 

Team Principal of Team Sky Dave Brailsford:

“Collaboration is the cornerstone to positive change and as such this is very exciting for professional cycling and 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 professional cycling to grow. If the teams unite and work collectively with other key stakeholders to make cycling better to watch, easier to understand and get guaranteed commercial support it’s to everyone’s benefit and will encourage even more fans to follow the sport we love.”
 

Team Sky, Chris Froome:

“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.”
 

Tinkoff-Saxo CEO Stefano Feltrin: 
“The will and desire to change is clear from the work we have been doing for more than the past year with the other teams who are part of Velon. Together with the excellent collaborative spirit of all the founding teams, and the use of a commercial joint venture into which the teams have transferred valuable intellectual property, we have the right ingredients to create lasting change for the benefit of fans, riders, teams and other stakeholders in our sport.”

 

Tinkoff-Saxo, Michael Rogers:

“Velon is setting in motion an interesting structure and unification of the world’s highest level cycling teams within professional road cycling. Together with the introduction of the latest technology, teams will have the platform to deliver thrilling experiences to fans from all corners of the globe.”

 

Trek general manager Luca Guercilena:

“The teams share a series of priorities to bring to the table of professional cycling. All eleven Velon teams believe a strong commercial entity representing them is essential to develop cycling. The optimism for the future of our sport in the group is telling. Trek Factory Racing is happy and proud to be a part of this project.”

 

Trek Factory Racing, Fabian Cancellara:

“The teams have a story to tell and it is through a project like Velon that they can be sure that story is heard. The on-bike cameras were a first example of the soul and strength of the collaboration between the teams and the other stakeholders in cycling.”