Grand Depart 2016 Costs and Benefits

Mark Cavendish Utah Beach 2016

Want to host the Tour de France? If so then France’s state auditor the Cour des Comptes, “the court of accounts”, has issued a report into le grand départ from 2016 that gives us acloser look at the finances, business and practicalities of hosting the Tour de France.

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Desert Algebra

Dubai Tour 2018

The branch of maths called algebra gets its name from al jabr, Arabic for “reunifying broken parts”. The Tour of Dubai certainly offers formulaic racing where each day the breakaway is reunited with the peloton for an inevitable sprint finish.

Is there another sport where next to nothing happens for hours only for furious action in final seconds? This isn’t new to cycling fans but the Tour of Dubai seems to embody this concept. Perhaps this is a race that nobody is supposed to watch anyway?

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Pro Team Sponsors: What Do They Do?

With the new season about to start do you know your Soudal from your Sky, your Michelton from your Movistar? Here’s an A-Z primer on the World Tour team sponsors for 2018 and what they do.

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The Finances of ASO

Much is made of ASO’s dominant position in the sport but how much money does the Parisian race owner make? Here’s a closer look at the finances of Amaury Sport Organisation.

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The Finances of Team Sky

Team Sky’s accounts for the year ending 2016 are out and they’re bigger than ever, the team budget increased by 27% for the year and Sky’s title sponsorship payment by 50%. Here’s a look at their budget, spending, wage bill and more.

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The Finances of Ag2r La Mondiale

Want to run a pro team? You need millions of Euros a year. Here’s a closer look at the team budget of Ag2r La Mondiale, the French team in the World Tour sponsored by one of France’s largest mutual insurance companies.

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Transfer Day

Mikel Landa

It’s transfer day in cycling. Under the UCI rules existing professionals can now sign for another team for the 2018 season, both a pointless rule and a precious one.

Seven the top-10 in the Tour de France are potentially on the market* but it’s also the start of a nervous two months for lesser riders whose contract is up at the end of the year. Here’s a quick scan of the market…

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UCI Annual Report and Accounts

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” goes the saying only the front of the UCI’s annual report and accounts for 2016 says plenty as features the men’s road race at the world championships in Doha, the concluding event of a very lucrative week for cycling’s governing body as the accounts show the Qataris paid far more than the usual amount to host the event.

The UCI’s annual report and accounts (PDF) came out on the eve of the Tour de France. The big race got the limelight, now it’s time to take a quick look at the sport’s governing body and its finances.

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A Day With The Sponsors

I awoke and padded my way to the bathroom across the Quick Step flooring. A flick of the Hansgrohe thermostatic valve and the shower hissed into life. As I waited for the hot water to arrive I glanced at the tiles fixed in place by the Soudal adhesive and grouting.

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The Reasons Why Every Tour Stage is Shown Live in Full

When Guillaume Van Keirsbulck took off yesterday we got to see his attack live on TV and then the rest of the 200km procession. Good TV? Perhaps not unless you’re tuning in for the scenery but it’s better than the alternatives on a midweek afternoon.

Having all the stages televised live from start to finish is a novelty for 2017. Why? It’s a story of supply, demand and dull daytime TV schedules.

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