Breaking Away - "Top cycling teams explore creating new competitive league"

[Berniece]

Not at all. In what ways were the two projects even related?

Not related, but a case could be made that privately backed projects fail if there isn't enough animo for it.

 

[Rob5091]

Not at all. In what ways were the two projects even related?

Not directly, but they're both privately funded projects that have basically said the same PR schpiel. As the kids say nowadays, it's not good optics.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

National Cycling League goes under - https://velo.outsideonline.com/road...w-the-national-cycling-league-abruptly-ended/
"According to sources, in just a few minutes in a one-way conversation, officials told riders that the series was “out of money, pausing operations, and all contracts are terminated effective immediately,” said one source, who requested anonymity.

The call was brief, less than five minutes, and no one was allowed to ask any questions, sources said.

An e-mail was forwarded providing written and legal notices, including a reminder that a non-disclosure agreement remained in effect despite the termination of contracts.

Riders were paid through April — with salaries reportedly at only $3,000 per season for top riders — and had until Tuesday to put in expense reports."

So how will this impact the big OneCycling project?

Denver Disrupted.

 

[Rob5091]

Jumping on the Tour PR blitz, OneCycling tries to make themselves relevant -
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ex...t-gains-traction-through-private-equity-deal/

“It’s not about becoming rich, it's about creating a better balance in the sport."

Yeah, it's really a f**king charity and to "generate new revenue and monetize fan engagement" just for giggles ...

 

[Izzyeviel]

For those of us with goldfish minds, whats the TLDR on One Cycling?

 

[Rob5091]

For those of us with goldfish minds, whats the TLDR on One Cycling?

For those goldfish and other pets amongst us, OneCycling is the latest attempt by rich people to get even richer by making cycling more "modern" and making fans pay more for the privilege of watching pro-cycling.

 

[Andeastras]

You stated that you disliked ASO and the current business model so would be all in favour of change. I used a reductio ad absurdum argument to point out that embracing change just because it's change isn't a good stance to have. I think that Plugge's cronies' proposal is worse than the status quo because it will not improve cycling at the top level (in fact, without measures for parity enforcement like they have in US sports with the draft and salary caps, it will probably become a lot more boring, being a closed shop enabling the richest teams to bogart all the results even more than they do now because there's less competition) and will drastically worsen cycling at the .Pro and continental tour levels, therefore while the current status quo is flawed, I see no benefit in supporting a proposal that actively worsens the spectacle of the sport (while broadcasting to the world that because you will see the best in every race it will improve it, as though 0-0 draws don't happen at the highest level of football) and reduces the amount of cycling at our disposal. Some of us like that the biggest names aren't at every race, and sometimes races overlap because it means we get multiple different spectacles and we can enjoy a good race for what it is, not say, "yes, there was 70km of high quality action in that stage of the Vuelta a Asturias or the Tour Alsace or what have you... but it would have been way better if Jonas Vingegaard had been there and Jumbo had controlled everything in a mountain train and then he won by six minutes".

To help manage and achieve strategic goals in such evolving situations, I recommend reading about the https://oboard.io/infographics/okr-acronym. Balancing tradition with innovation is crucial to maintaining the sport's appeal.

Richard Plugge here is the equivalent of Florentino Pérez trying to set up the Super League because he can't afford to buy Kylian Mbappé and he might have to forgo some Galácticos and compete on an even playing field with teams that are subject to the vagaries of everyday financing for the first time in his life.

Embracing change for the sake of change isn't necessarily beneficial. The new proposal could potentially worsen the sport by reducing competition and making it more predictable, which would detract from the excitement at both the top and lower levels. While the status quo has its flaws, it provides a variety of spectacles and races that might be lost with the proposed system. Balancing tradition with innovation is crucial to maintain the sport's appeal.

 

[Potomac]

I think this whole thing is a tempest in tea cup. Nothing is going to happen.