{"id":39159,"title":"Is British cycle racing dying?","description":"Is British cycle road racing dying? Former Giro d\u2019Italia victor Tao Geoghan Hart wrote on the social media formerly known as Twitter that British cycle sport was dying and that \u201cI don\u2019t see anyone coming to resuscitate it.\u201d\n\nIs he correct? We look at the current state of British road racing and try to work out what needs fixing.","content":"

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Is British cycle road racing dying? Giro d\u2019Italia victor Tao Geoghan Hart<\/strong> wrote on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that British cycle sport was dying and that \u201cI don\u2019t see anyone coming to resuscitate it.\u201d<\/p>

Is he correct? We look at the current state of British road racing and try to work out what needs fixing.<\/p>

\"WhatBarely a week passes without a social media post from a UK road race organiser desperately pleading for entries. Whilst some races have been cancelled, most organisers plod grimly on, accepting the financial loss they will incur.<\/p>

The UCI-recognised national federation British Cycling has seen a drop in membership, a loss of income and has been forced into making staff redundancies. Combined with controversy and parliamentary criticism as well as membership dissatisfaction, it's not been a golden period for the federation.<\/p>

On the other hand, sparkling performances by Williams at Fleche Wallonne, Tom Pidcock at the Amstel Gold Race and Joe Blackmore at Brabantse Pijl suggest that internationally, British road racing is in rude health.<\/p>

\"Gift<\/u><\/a><\/p>

Britons now make up an incredible 9% of all female riders in UCI-registered teams and 3% of men's teams. Thumb through the pages of Procyclingstats and you'll find the results of the under-23 and junior races stacked with British riders.<\/p>

\u201can inevitable decline or a purple patch?\u201d<\/p>

What's really the state of British road racing today? Is it in an inevitable decline or enjoying a truly purple patch? Surely it can't be both? Or can it, and does it matter? We try to make sense of the confusing state of British road racing.<\/p>

First, let's look back at racing since the 1980s. It's the decade when I made an unremarkable start to a cycle racing experience that's lasted over forty years.<\/p>

British road racing in the 1980s<\/h2>

British continental professionals<\/h3>

Back in the 1980s, only a handful of British riders were racing for continental teams. Riders such as Sean Yates, Paul Sherwen and John Herety were some of the few who flew the flag abroad.<\/p>

\"Continental-basedContinental-based professional Graham Jones. Image: The Mick Searle Collection<\/em><\/p>

Their foreign peers respected them, but none were regular winners, although, had Graham Jones\u2019s team given him the chance, he'd have achieved more. Only Robert Millar, now Phillipa York, was ever touted as a realistic Tour de France winner.<\/p>

Road racing in Britain during the 80s<\/h3>

Domestically, a full calendar enabled juniors and above to race on the road every weekend from March until September. Although few British professionals were riding in Europe, at home, a series of mainly town-centre races were host to British-based professional riders.<\/p>

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Many of them combined another career with entertaining crowds on tight circuits with races fought out at a ferocious pace. They were good riders who could have carved out a career abroad. Ian Hallam MBE is a good example. The Olympic Games bronze medallist turned professional to ride in the UK, alongside establishing a lucrative and successful dentistry practice.<\/p>

The opportunities for women and youths were more limited, and the number of women racing was tiny. The UK hosted two major amateur stage races, the Tour of Britain, then known as the Milk Race and the Sealink International. The participation of Soviet and East German riders just emphasised the gulf that existed between British amateurs and Eastern Bloc riders.<\/p>

\"JoJo Waugh (left) flew the flag for GB in amateur races during the 1980s. Image: The Mick Searle Collection<\/em><\/p>

With few exceptions, amateur success by British riders in international races was rare. Ironically, given the paltry state of British women\u2018s racing, Mandy Jones\u2019s victory at the World Championships in 1982 was an exception.<\/p>

Whilst we enjoyed Channel 4\u2019s Tour de France TV highlights from the mid-80s, the idea that a Briton would one day win the Tour de France was laughable.<\/p>

The Team Sky era<\/h2>

The death of the UK\u2019s professional scene<\/h3>

The domestic professional scene was finally killed off in 1995. It had limped on for years, but when the sport went open, the Kellogg\u2019s City Centre series ended, and the early 90s recession truly bit, that was it.<\/p>

By 2005, the UK only had two UCI-registered teams: Team Barloworld-Valsir, which had one British rider and Team Rochelle, which was formed by Maestro Bike Shop owner Mick Perry. Of Team Rochelle\u2019s eight riders signed for 2005, only two, Mick\u2019s son Marc and Christian Varley, ever rode for a UCI team again.<\/p>

Tour de France domination<\/h3>

But then something remarkable happened. On the back of Olympic success on the track, Team Sky was born with the stated ambition of winning the Tour de France with a British rider within five years. It was a statement met with some derision at the time.<\/p>

By the end of 2019, Great Britain stood as the dominant Tour de France team of the decade. Through Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Geraint Thomas, Britain had won six of the decade\u2019s yellow jerseys in Paris.<\/p>

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This had all been achieved through the one team - Team Sky, which became Team Ineos in 2019. No longer was Britain the whipping boy of continental racing.<\/p>

Great Britain\u2019s women had been shining too. Nicole Cooke led the way with an Olympic Gold and World Championship double in 2008. Emma Pooley followed up Cooke\u2019s victories at the Grande Boucle Feminine Internationale in 2009, and Lizzie Deignan was crowned World Champion in 2015.<\/p>

British public\u2019s cycling love affair<\/h3>

The 2012 London Olympic Games seemed to cement the UK\u2019s burgeoning love affair with cycle racing. More track gold medals and Bradley Wiggins's triumph in the individual time trial triggered a surge in interest.<\/p>

Some cycling clubs were besieged by enthusiastic youngsters, many of whom were oversubscribed or unprepared. A few frustrated parents set up their own youth cycling clubs in response.<\/p>

\u201cthe anti-cyclist Daily Mail got on the bandwagon\u201d<\/p>

Even the anti-cyclist Daily Mail got on the bandwagon. Instead of the usual \u2018weird men in lycra\u2019 articles, they enthused about Wiggo style. Variously describing the Tour de France winner as a star, a hero or both. He could do no wrong.<\/p>

Team Sky doping allegations<\/h3>

But it didn't last. Chris Froome never inspired the same devotion with the British public, and by the time Geraint Thomas took victory in France, the tone had changed dramatically. The UK\u2019s anti-doping body UKAD, opened an investigation into Team Sky in 2016, and by 2018, a Parliamentary report effectively accused them of cheating their way to victory.<\/p>

\"TeamThe success of Team Sky came at a cost to British Cycling. Image: <\/em>Quino Al<\/em><\/a> on <\/em>Unsplash<\/em><\/a><\/p>

Once more, racing cyclists in the UK had the tag of doping cheats attached to them. One that had hung around the sport since Tommy Simpson died of heat exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux in 1967. The Daily Mail turned on Wiggins, picking over the debris from the doping fallout and subsequently chronicling his abusive childhood, money issues and failing marriage.<\/p>

\u201ca kick in the teeth to all of us who cheered Wiggins\u201d<\/p>

The March 2018 headline from the Daily Mail summed it up: \u201cThese bombshell findings are a kick in the teeth to all of us who cheered Wiggins\u201d.<\/p>

Despite the allegations, Britain was still performing well in continental racing. In 2018, British riders won all three of the Grand Tours: Tour de France - Chris Froome, Giro d\u2019Italia - Geraint Thomas and Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a - Simon Yates.<\/p>

\"Articles<\/u><\/a>By the end of 2019, twenty-three British riders made up 5% of World Tour Teams, whilst thirty British females made up 6% of all UCI-registered women\u2019s teams.<\/p>

Domestic racing suffers<\/h3>

In the UK, domestic racing was suffering by 2019. There were 10% fewer British Cycling road races than four years earlier, and the British-based UCI teams were collapsing. Madison Genesis pulled out of the sport in 2019, following on from JLT-Condor and One Pro Cycling.<\/p>

Attempts by the team owners to secure new sponsors proved unsuccessful. The cycling industry was in turmoil with major retailer Evans Cycles having gone into administration, and the doping allegations couldn\u2019t have helped the hunt for new backers.<\/p>

Road racing post Covid-19<\/h2>

A golden age of cycling is promised<\/h3>

If cycle racing on the roads of the UK looked a bit grim at the end of 2019, it was about to get a lot worse with the onset of Covid across the world. Nearly a quarter of a million died in the UK because of Covid, and many lost their jobs or suffered long-term ill-health.<\/p>

For cyclists, there were some positives from the initial stages of the Covid pandemic in the UK. Overnight, the roads were free of cars. The weather was good, and there was the wonderful sight of whole families, mums, dads and kids out on their bikes.<\/p>

By July 2020, the UK\u2019s Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered his vision of a \u201cgolden age of cycling<\/strong><\/a>\u201d. Cycle lanes popped up everywhere. Some were brilliant, but many were not. It was a mere blip.<\/p>

\u201cBike lanes were ripped out\u201d<\/p>

Promised funding disappeared, and it was not long before the anti-cycling backlash started. Bike lanes were ripped out faster than you could ask, \u201cis that sensible?\u201d Boris\u2019s replacement\u2019s replacement as Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, declared he would end \u201cthe war on motorists.\u201d As if there\u2019d ever been one.<\/p>

Back on the road after the pandemic<\/h3>

All amateur sports came to an abrupt stop, and restrictions were put in place until the pandemic had passed. Many of us assumed that everyone would be keen to start racing again as soon as possible and that we would quickly return to pre-Covid participation levels.<\/p>

\u201cthe number of events is significantly down\u201d<\/p>

Cycle road racing in Britain simply hasn't recovered to anything like the sport we knew pre-Covid. Races that would previously have been over-subscribed are struggling to survive due to a lack of entrants. That's where race organisers are putting them on. The number of events is significantly down from 2019, which itself was hardly a bumper year.<\/p>

There were fewer than sixty per cent of the number of British Cycling registered road and circuit races in 2023 compared to 2015, and it\u2019s increasingly circuit races rather than road races. Only 27% of all events in 2023 were road races.<\/p>

According to Sport England, participation in leisure and sport-related cycling fell by 11% between May 2016 and November 2021.<\/p>

No Women\u2019s Tour of Britain<\/h3>

The national Tour of Britain scraped along last year on a much-reduced budget. The lack of funding directly affected the choice of route, which was far from optimal. At least it took place. The women\u2019s event, which had only begun in 2014, was cancelled.<\/p>

SweetSpot, which had the contract to organise both races on behalf of British Cycling, went into liquidation, allegedly owing British Cycling \u00a3700,000.<\/p>

Why has British road racing not recovered?<\/h2>

British road racing is not alone in having suffered a downturn in its fortunes since the return to \u2018normality\u2019 after the Covid pandemic. Road racing in the UK is not unique; even Flanders, the heartland of cycle racing, has seen a decline in the number of cycling competitors and events.<\/p>

Loss of volunteers<\/h3>

A common theme has been the loss of volunteers who are critical to the survival of all sports in the UK. The Community Life Survey<\/strong><\/a>, conducted on behalf of the UK\u2019s Department for Culture, Media & Sport, highlighted that Covid had exacerbated a longer-term decline in volunteering for sports and charitable organisations.<\/p>

An academic paper Understanding the impact COVID-19 has had on grassroots cycling:the perspective of grassroots volunteers and British cycling staff<\/strong><\/a> written in 2022, highlighted the loss of volunteers as a direct consequence of the pandemic.<\/p>

Even back in the 1980s, road racing was dependent on a small number of volunteers, many of whom were in their later years of life. In my local area, the late John \u2018JP\u2019 Pendelton would in a single year organise a series of three road races in March, the three-day Tour of the Southdowns in June and two further road races later in the year.<\/p>

The loss of a few key individuals can have a devastating effect on the health of the sport.<\/p>

Fewer competitors<\/h3>

Fewer volunteers mean fewer events, but surely that would mean those that are left are inundated with entrants. But across the adult age range, this is not the case. Why are there fewer competitors in British road races?<\/p>

There are numerous potential reasons, and I doubt there\u2019s one single cause but several interlinked factors. Some certainly found other interests. Zwift racing saw a boom during the Covid lockdown. Gravel racing and riding have grown, too. Both have potential advantages over racing on the road: safety, convenience and cost.<\/p>

\u201ca vicious circle\u201d<\/p>

Maybe people just got out of the habit of pinning on a number and found non-cycling activities to occupy their time, or found they could enjoy cycling without competitive pressure. There\u2019s certainly a vicious circle. If there are few races to enter, there\u2019s little for cyclists to train for. In turn, if organisers can't rustle up a half-decent field with the hope of at least breaking even, why bother to organise at all?<\/p>

\"Gifts<\/u><\/a><\/p>

The pressures on organisers are more intense than ever. Traffic levels in the UK are already back to where they were before Covid. Almost doubtless, they have now exceeded them. From a personal perspective, almost all my local road racing courses are now far too busy with traffic to be used.<\/p>

Long gone are the days of the 1980s when health and safety consisted of slapping on a \u201cbeware cycle race\u201d sign on a car and placing a few bored marshals with red flags on corners. I\u2019m sure today\u2019s British Cycling commissaires would have taken a dim view of the times I drove a lead car bedecked with my learner plates.<\/p>

Increasingly, our British road races have migrated to circuits, which is great if you are lucky enough to live near one and don\u2019t mind riding the same circuits or the absence of hills.<\/p>

Cost of living<\/h3>

The economic pressures that existed before Covid and the subsequent \u2018cost of living crisis\u2019 have affected organisers, volunteers and competitors alike. Road race entries vary between \u00a331 to \u00a341 per event. Add to that the surge in fuel prices, and it\u2019s potentially an expensive day out.<\/p>

Circuit races often attract bigger fields than road races. Probably because many riders feel more comfortable riding on a road without traffic, and entry fees are typically lower, too.<\/p>

Interestingly, however, the budget racing provided to riders over forty by British Masters\u2019 Cycle Racing has struggled too, despite race entries typically in the \u00a315 to \u00a325 range.<\/p>

As we have seen above, national elite-level sport has been hit hard. This is driven more by economics than by a fall in volunteers or competitors, although all professional events are reliant upon unpaid volunteers.<\/p>

Pressure on the \u2018public purse\u2019<\/h3>

Many of the erstwhile sponsors and supporters of cycle racing in the UK were local authorities or publicly funded bodies. Welcome to Yorkshire, the official tourism agency, was heavily involved in bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire and organising the Tour de Yorkshire. It went into liquidation in 2022.<\/p>

At the other end of the country, the Havant International Grand Prix ran until 2005, having started life as a race for third-category and junior riders. Its demise at the time was due more to the opposition from the local police than economics.<\/p>

It\u2019s inconceivable that the Council could have continued to fund it for much longer. Support a bike race whilst libraries are being closed and residents are complaining about verges no longer being cut?<\/p>

\"TownThe popular and lamented Farnham Town Centre races. Image: The Mick Searle collection<\/em><\/p>

Not only have the financial pressures on businesses and local authorities hit the elite national events, but it\u2019s also directly curtailed some of the successful town centre events that were popular with locals, businesses and cyclists. Winchester and Farnham\u2019s town centre events are now just a fading memory.<\/p>

But cyclocross thrives<\/h3>

One cycling discipline has bucked this depressing trend. Cyclocross numbers are robust, and it still represents the number one cycle sport for youth participation. Women\u2019s racing in cyclocross is holding up well.<\/p>

\u201cYou can\u2019t compete in cyclocross races online\u201d<\/p>

I\u2019ve wondered why this is the case, and these are only my best guesses as to why and are not based upon any empirical evidence. Firstly, unlike road racing, there\u2019s no real alternative to cyclocross. You can\u2019t compete in cyclocross races online. Many cyclocross riders have indeed taken up gravel racing, but they don\u2019t compete for time. Cyclocross is a winter sport, whilst gravel overlaps with the road racing season.<\/p>

\"BritishBritish professional Millie Couzens came through the cyclocross ranks. Image: The Mick Searle Collection<\/em><\/p>

Since the expansion of cyclocross through the increased participation of women, youths and masters riders, the sport has become a multi-family affair, very much compared to road racing. It\u2019s quite common for two or more members of a family to participate in different categories on the same day. It only takes one member of the family to be willing to race to inspire the rest.<\/p>

Cyclocross is, in my experience, the friendliest of the cycling disciplines. For whatever reason, cyclocross races are social events. This social glue is a strong pull for many who have no hope of victory but enjoy the challenge and social interaction.<\/p>

Finally, it has few of the inherent risks of racing on the road and with the absence of suitable events for many youths, it\u2019s the best competition they can get.<\/p>

The role of British Cycling<\/h2>

British Cycling is the UCI-recognised national cycling body for cycle sports in Great Britain. Originally, the British Cycling Federation, when it was responsible for just road and track racing it was renamed to plain British Cycling when it absorbed other disciplines.<\/p>

It's now the main governing body for road racing, track, mountain biking, cyclocross, BMX, cycle speedway, and time trialling in Scotland.<\/p>

If any organisation is responsible for \u2018saving\u2019 road racing in Britain, it\u2019s British Cycling. But it\u2019s endured a bumpy and at times controversial history. By 1996, it was virtually bankrupt and threatened with a ban on future Lottery money and withdrawal of Sports Council grants.<\/p>

Olympic focus and international success<\/h3>

The arrival of Peter Keen CBE in 1997 as Performance Director led to a change in direction by focusing on Olympic Golds and the money that attracts. This ultimately led to sponsorship from Sky and the subsequent creation of Team Sky.<\/p>

From a sporting perspective, this resulted in unprecedented success in track and road cycling. But it masked underlying problems that slowly started to unravel and, I believe, have alienated many of its members and led to the near collapse of grassroots sport.<\/p>

I have no doubt, and I know this to be the case, that many British Cycling volunteers and employees are hard-working and dedicated to the sport. My personal concern is with the direction and focus of the organisation on international and particularly Olympic success.<\/p>

Looking back now over the past few decades, it feels like looking back at the wreckage of the British motor and manufacturing industry. At the point where Britain was a manufacturing powerhouse, it was already failing. It just wasn\u2019t appreciated at the time. Soon, European and far-eastern competitors overtook the UK. The manufacturing industry never recovered in the UK.<\/p>

Nicole Cooke\u2019s claims<\/h3>

In 2013, Nicole Cooke, one of Great Britain\u2019s most successful cyclists, gave a twenty-minute speech to announce her retirement. She discussed corruption in professional cycling, doping and gender inequality. Her 2014 autobiography, The Breakaway, went further with allegations against individuals within British Cycling.<\/p>

\u201cA sport run by men for men\u201d<\/p>

EXPLAINER<\/strong>: UK Sport is the government agency responsible for investing in Olympic and Paralympic sports in the UK. It is an executive non-departmental public body (i.e. a QUANGO) sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.<\/em><\/p>

Her 2017 evidence to a Parliamentary inquiry<\/strong><\/a> was damning of British Cycling\u2019s attitudes to women\u2019s sport and the lack of accountability by UK Sport<\/strong>. She recounted numerous instances which portray an organisation that had little regard for women\u2019s road cycling. It was, she says, \u201ca sport run by men for men\u201d.<\/p>

Shane Sutton<\/h3>

Shane Sutton, the former professional cyclist and one-time Performance Director of British Cycling, is a controversial and decisive character. For some, he is a hero who helped guide many cyclists to Olympic success.<\/p>

But he\u2019s been the subject of several accusations. Jess Varnish accused him of bullying and sexism following her non-selection for the Olympics. Former British Cycling Olympians Victoria Pendleton and Nicole Cooke publicly backed Jess Varnish.<\/p>

Sutton was the subject of an anonymous whistleblowing email<\/strong><\/a> sent to UK Sport, which decided not to investigate and passed it to British Cycling chief executive Ian Drake. He, quite unbelievably, showed it to Sutton. The email made claims about Sutton\u2019s behaviour, nepotism and misappropriation of resources.<\/p>

\u201cdenied being an ex-doper\u201d<\/p>

Shane Sutton has denied all these accusations and has also denied being an ex-doper and a \u201chabitual and serial liar\u201d.<\/p>

I\u2019ve spoken to one ex-British Cycling employee who confirmed that Sutton\u2019s 1970s-style references to women athletes were known within the Manchester HQ of the sport. Sutton resigned from British Cycling in 2016 when they opened an investigation.<\/p>

Team Sky<\/h3>

The relationship between British Cycling and Team Sky was close. So close, it would appear, that British Cycling personnel and publicly funded resources were diverted to the team at the whim of those at the top.<\/p>

Whilst Team Sky prospered, this didn\u2019t seem to matter, although accusations by Nicole Cooke suggest this was often to the detriment of the female athletes. It didn\u2019t play out so well when Team Sky was accused of doping practices using Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE), the infamous Jiffygate saga and the Richard Freeman tribunal.<\/p>

\u201cguilty by association\u201d<\/p>

The closeness of the relationship ensured that British Cycling was guilty by association, and its reputation and that of cycle sport in the UK suffered as a consequence.<\/p>

A common complaint by many, myself included, is that whilst Team Sky and subsequently Team Ineos are one of the best-funded in the sport, they can\u2019t apparently afford a women\u2019s team. What message does this send out to British Cycling\u2019s female members and all those potential female racing cyclists?<\/p>

Shell deal<\/h3>

In 2022, British Cycling announced a deal with Shell UK Limited. It aims to \u201cwiden access to the sport, support our elite riders and help accelerate our organisation and sport on its journey to net zero.\u201d<\/p>

It was reported at the time that many British Cycling employees were shocked at the announcement and were roundly condemned by environmentalists. As a British Cycling member, I wrote to British Cycling to complain and penned an article - Why we disagree with British Cycling<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

A sizeable number of people claimed on social media that they were terminating their British Cycling membership as a result. Others, however, were supportive of the deal and claimed anyone who drove a petrol car or used carbon frames was a hypocrite.<\/p>

Financial position and loss of members<\/h3>

By the end of the Sky sponsorship deal in 2016, British Cycling\u2019s membership was 125,000. Twenty years earlier, it stood at about 14,000. Since that high point, British Cycling has suffered from a drop in sponsorship income and a declining number of supporters.<\/p>

The number of cycling-affiliated clubs has decreased from over 2,200 in 2016 to just over 1,700 in 2022. Based on British Cycling\u2019s Club Finder feature on their website, the figure in 2024 stands at just under 1,600.<\/p>

In October 2023, British Cycling announced eleven staff would lose their jobs from a workforce of around two hundred and fifty.<\/p>

Former British Cycling President Brian Cookson criticised the leadership in November 2022 after the CEO Brian Facer had left \u201cby mutual agreement\u201d. Cookson claimed that \u201cThe problem as I see it is that we\u2019re governed by people who don\u2019t really have a background in that sport, pastime, activity, and I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re motivated by.\u201d<\/p>

He also stated that the alienation of British Cycling\u2019s membership began with a \u201chollowing out of the organisation\u201d by former CEO Julie Harrington, who left in 2020.<\/p>

Cookson called for British Cycling chair Frank Slevin to go. I\u2019ve met Frank Slevin, but I don\u2019t know him well. I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s fair to lay the blame entirely at his doorstep, and I think some of Cookson\u2019s criticism is unfair.<\/p>

I\u2019m not aware of any competitive history in cycling in Slevin\u2019s past, but he\u2019s a regular cyclist, unless Strava is lying. According to Euromoney, he was known within HSBC as \u2018budgie\u2019 for his habit of turning up to meetings in Lycra.<\/p>

He\u2019s certainly a wealthy individual and a successful businessperson. Unless he\u2019s angling for an honour, I\u2019d be surprised if he put himself through the grief that comes with the unpaid role of chair if he didn\u2019t have the sport\u2019s interests at heart.<\/p>

What is the point of British Cycling?<\/h3>

I honestly don\u2019t know any current or former members of British Cycling who now speak positively about the organisation. But to be fair, I\u2019m unrepresentative of the membership. Most of my cycling friends raced on the road in the 1980s or earlier. Things were always better in the past. Or were they?<\/p>

Certainly, we had more racing on the road in the 1980s. Circuit racing was a rarity. On the other hand, British success on the road or track was almost unheard of. We had low expectations of our international teams in their tatty, hand-me-down kit. The British Cycling Federation was a low-budget organisation run largely by enthusiastic amateurs.<\/p>

That\u2019s not to denigrate the contribution many individuals made, but if British Cycling were still run in the same way, it's possible we\u2019d be in an even more parlous state. There\u2019s one difference between now and then. At least back in those days, we all thought we knew what the British Cycling Federation stood for.<\/p>

\u201ctrying to be everything to everyone\u201d<\/p>

I\u2019m not sure I know anymore, and maybe that\u2019s its greatest weakness. It seems to be trying to be everything to everyone. Does it exist purely to win Olympic medals, to ensure a strong and diverse grassroots racing scene, to campaign for cycling as a form of utilitarian transport or to encourage more people to ride a bike?<\/p>

It\u2019s recent past, and the treatment of women in the pursuit of Tour de France and Olympic success is not compatible with a truly equitable sport that is open to all.<\/p>

Does the current state of road racing in the UK matter?<\/h2>

Some might argue that British road racing is in a strong position. The number of British riders racing at the top of the sport is the highest it\u2019s ever been. British women make up nine per cent of Women\u2019s World Tour Teams, whilst British men comprise six per cent of the men\u2019s World Tour Teams.<\/p>

\"ChartBritish riders in World Tour Teams<\/em><\/p>

We have riders capable of winning one-day classics and, if not currently, grand tours, high-profile stage races. The Tours of Britain for men and women are back on the calendar for 2024. With Team Ineos, we have a World Tour Team. But fifteen years on from the foundation of Team Sky, we still don\u2019t have a Women\u2019s World Tour Team.<\/p>

So, what does it matter if we have many fewer competitors and road racing events, and most of those are on circuits? It certainly presents a risk to British Cycling through the loss of membership fees and race levies.<\/p>

\u201cthe lifeblood of British Cycling\u201d<\/p>

The grassroots of cycle racing is the lifeblood of British Cycling. It\u2019s where all its volunteers and future committee members are drawn from. Ignore that grassroots, and you kill the sport. Put simply, it\u2019s not a sustainable position.<\/p>

\"ChartNumbers of British Cycling road and circuit races since 2015 (March to Sep. only)<\/em><\/p>

Without that existential threat, another worrying factor has been the diminution of events for youths. The number of events for the Youth A age group was less than half in 2023 compared to 2015.<\/p>

Where will the next batch of world-class riders come from if they haven\u2019t had the opportunity to race on circuits?<\/p>

What\u2019s the answer?<\/h2>

British Cycling\u2019s 16 recommendations<\/h3>

In January 2024, British Cycling published the findings of its elite road racing task force to reinvigorate domestic racing. I was excited at the time by the use of the word domestic. Unfortunately, that just meant in the UK and not grassroots.<\/p>

I don\u2019t doubt that it will help the elite scene, but it feels once again that the focus is on the top end of the sport. Few of the measures seem likely to help the bread and butter of road racing, although organiser succession plans should help national events. I hope the digital strategy will include the website, which is long overdue for a fundamental redesign.<\/p>

Youth events at circuit races<\/strong><\/h3>

Unlike cyclocross, there isn\u2019t a requirement for organisers to include youth races for circuit races, despite these being the only type of road racing in which they can participate. A quick scroll through British Cycling\u2019s list of registered circuit events for 2024 reveals how many don\u2019t include any youth races.<\/p>

\"YouthsKids racing at Goodwood in 2003<\/em><\/p>

Of the 133 events listed between 16 May 2024 and 15 May 2024, only sixty-three include youth races. Why is this? It\u2019s typically a combination of two key factors: money and time. Circuits can be expensive to hire. Youth entry fees alone may well struggle to cover the cost of hire.<\/p>

With separate elite, third category and women\u2019s events, youth races are squeezed for time. Unless the organising club has an interest in youth racing, they are likely to be pushed out by the senior races that bring in the money.<\/p>

British Cycling could strengthen support for youth races by mandating minimum requirements and providing greater financial incentives to support youth races. There\u2019s a risk that some events might not take place, but I believe that\u2019s a risk worth taking.<\/p>

As Tao Geoghegan Hart said,<\/strong><\/a> \u201cI am and will be continuing to lobby British Cycling to change youth racing rules to reduce the financial \u2018arms race\u2019 and costs associated with kids\u2019 racing. Even just small changes can have a huge impact. This is not an easy sport to access. We need to change that. We need those kids getting into cycling to grow the sport from the bottom up.\u201d<\/p>

Strengthen non-Olympic sports<\/strong><\/h3>

A common complaint amongst cyclocross riders is that British Cycling just doesn\u2019t seem interested because it\u2019s not an Olympic sport. Yet cyclocross has been where many of our top riders started, if only because of the absence of youth circuit races.<\/p>

British Cycling needs to recognise the importance of non-Olympic disciplines as a feeder into cycling. Few of the current crop of youth cyclocross riders will ever represent GB at the Olympics or race professionally.<\/p>

But if we can keep them in the sport, they may well become the future adult volunteers and race organisers. And a tiny fraction of today's cyclocross riders will make it into the professional ranks.<\/p>

Commit to a women\u2019s World Tour team<\/h3>

I know that many individuals within British Cycling are committed to equality, but as an organisation, British Cycling has a long way to go to overcome the negative messages that the Nicole Cooke, Jess Varnish, and Shane Sutton affairs have conveyed. How about committing to having a British Women\u2019s World Tour team in place by a specific date?<\/p>

Of the traditional cycling nations, only Italy, like the UK, fails to have a Women\u2019s World Tour team. I\u2019ll repeat what I wrote earlier. It's now fifteen years since the men\u2019s Team Sky was established.<\/p>

Don\u2019t alienate your mature racers<\/strong><\/h3>

One master\u2019s World Champion contacted British Cycling, believing naively that they would wish to include a small feature on their website about his world title. He was told that they don\u2019t cover master\u2019s events.<\/p>

Whilst we, more mature racers, appreciate that British Cycling\u2019s future and efforts should be focused on the more youthful, it must bear in mind that race organisers and volunteers tend to be drawn from the ranks of the more mature.<\/p>

British Cycling has to give the impression that it cares about all of its membership and not just that tiny subset that garners the headlines.<\/p>

Accredited marshal scheme<\/h3>

On the face of it, British Cycling\u2019s accredited marshal scheme is an excellent idea. Trained individuals with Department for Transport-approved signs and the power to stop vehicles at race junctions. What could possibly be wrong with that?<\/p>

Each prospective marshal takes an online course before attending an in-person practical session. Once you\u2019ve done that, you need to be a marshal at five races before you are fully accredited and qualify for free British Cycling membership.<\/p>

That\u2019s quite a commitment, and with the small number of road races taking part in some areas, that\u2019s a lot of travelling. You\u2019ve got to be quite committed to complete the full accreditation. Especially, if all you really want to do is marshal at your club\u2019s own promotion.<\/p>

Once accredited, you need to complete three events a year to keep your accreditation. It feels to me as if there\u2019s a disconnect between the requirements to become an accredited marshal and the number of people who will be willing or able to meet them. As more police forces insist on accredited marshals, it\u2019s a potential roadblock to racing on the open road.<\/p>

Is Olympic gold the only measure of success?<\/strong><\/h3>

I understand why British Cycling chases Olympic success. It attracts funding. But I question whether the focus has been good for the sport.<\/p>

Britain's track record in cycling at the Olympics is certainly impressive, but it doesn't seem to have helped the sport. Admittedly, Covid has had a dramatic impact, but I believe it just opened up fault lines that were already there.<\/p>

Isn't it time we reassessed what success really means in British cycle sport and what British Cycling's role should be?<\/p>

20 May 2024, Tim Costello.<\/em><\/p>

All images and text are the copyright of Rijden unless stated otherwise.<\/em><\/p>

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