Pro Cycling's REAL Problem

Pro Cycling's REAL Broken Business Model

Events like the disruption of La Vuelta 2025 by political protests against a team with ISRAEL on its jersey warrants a look at what Zio Lorenzo would call “Pro Cycling’s REAL Broken Business Model”.

Plenty has been written about the financial structure of pro cycling and how various business models (most of which seem based on somehow getting a piece of the vast fortune the Tour de France organizers supposedly make each year) should be implemented. But the REAL broken business model isn’t financial, it’s ethical. Not commerce vs sport but morality vs sport, two things that should be synonymous but fans are making it clear they are not and they’re not happy about it.

Pro cycling began as an individual sport but soon bicycle makers got involved, seeing the value of their brand-name on the wool jerseys of riders in the famous race. They bought advertising touting how Rider X won the race using their bicycle. Soon, teams were organized and paid by these bike makers to help one man win the race, sacrificing their own chances in the process.

Then Tour de France founder, Henri Desgrange decided in 1930 these industry teams had too much influence. His solution? Change to national teams, hoping to break up industry alliances adversely affecting his race. How to fund the race (and maybe make money?) became an issue, but Desgrange’ solution was a publicity caravan. This way industry of pretty much any type could pay to drive around the race course ahead of the riders, promoting their goods, handing out samples of their products, etc.

This worked OK but in the early 1960’s trade teams (with some national identity, which we’ll discuss further) were allowed to come back. Meanwhile, the lucrative publicity caravan continued. Trade teams again were mostly bicycle industry based, the first non-cycling sponsored team was an Italian one bankrolled by Nivea skin cream starting back in 1954.

Once the value of consumer product advertising became obvious (certainly helped by more and more television coverage of races) all kinds of companies sponsored teams from espresso machine makers, cold-cut producers and supermarkets along with alcoholic beverages one assumes fans would enjoy while watching the races. Even tobacco companies were involved until legislation ruled them out, despite some creative work-arounds by their makers like putting the same brand name on chocolates for example - BOULE D-OR could be eaten but they really wanted you to smoke them!

Pro cycling went along well enough with various companies coming and going, often with a new one just taking the place of a previous one, with no more changes than uniforms and maybe the color/branding of the bicycles. Budgets for pro teams weren’t insane, star riders were paid a pretty decent salary while all of them could add to their income from appearance fees and prizes earned at other races, plenty of which were post-Tour criteriums. Small business owners could afford to have their company name on a jersey, even if it was team that raced only nationally with hopes of an invite to their country’s 3-week Grand Tour

The mid-1980’s saw multi-national Coca-Cola sign up to be the official drink of LeTour, replacing Perrier. This was the same period in which American Greg LeMond started making his mark and other multinationals soon joined the party

Then in 2005 something big happened. A “Pro Tour” idea was cooked up, one that tried to globalize the sport. When cycling went global it meant two important races might be going on at the same time in different places, so now you needed two teams, one for each race with a staff to look after them and their bicycles. Costs of fielding a team competitive on the Pro Tour stage skyrocketed, some compared the budget needed to the GDP of a small country!

Just a few years later there WAS a small country bankrolling a team - Kazakhstan, a team named after their capital city Astana. They were instantly invited to join the Pro Tour. Some questions were asked about the ethics of such an authoritarian regime “sportwashing” in this way, but this was the UCI’s (international cycling union) go-go, “show us the money” phase. These were the same folks who said a certain Texan champ “would never, never, ever dope” to keep their gravy train rolling. The same Texan signed up with the team for the 2009 season, part of his "comeback tour".

Of course there had been national cycling teams in this era like Cafe Colombia, but they were more about promoting coffee than authoritarian regimes. The sportwashing trend continued with Bahrain in 2017 (“financed by the government of Bahrain to promote the country worldwide” according to Wikipedia) with UAE coming a year later. In both cases more questions were asked about sportwashing  but “show me the money” prevailed. More recently an Australian team added a secondary sponsor- ALULA in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps more subtle but otherwise the same idea?

Meanwhile, Israel Cycling Academy was born in 2014, the claim being it was to provide opportunity/development for Israeli cyclists. By 2018 they were invited to Milano-Sanremo and the Giro d’Italia, maybe having something to do with Israel paying big money to get the Giro d’Italia start, the first time outside Europe? Real estate tycoon Sylvan Adams was a big backer of the team as well as a provider of the funding needed to secure that “Big Start”. 

This team next bought their way into the World Tour with the purchase of Katusha-Alpecin, mostly tossing the elements of that team (but keeping their World Tour license) and rebranding the team as Israel Start-Up Nation. In 2021 Adam’s fortune let them buy fading pro Chris Froome.

In 2022 the team was rebranded as Israel-Premier Tech with more Canadian riders added since sponsor Premier Tech was a Canadian company but poor results caused the team to be relegated to the second-tier for 2023. In recent years the team has shown-up at the biggest races without a single Israeli rider, so what is this team’s purpose again if it’s not sportwashing? The governing regime in Israel seemed only too proud to have these representatives, but at the same time claimed to have not contributed to funding for the team.

Seems like Premier Tech is the real sponsor but takes second position to a country that contributes nothing? Zio's guess is Sylvan Adams the main backer and he's the one who wants ISRAEL on the jersey, even saying the team would NEVER compete otherwise..before the name was removed halfway through the Vuelta. More grumbling about sportwashing was said and written, especially as  things heated up (again) in the Middle East.

In early 2024 pro-Palestinian protests against the team’s presence at cycling events began in Australia. As the genocide in Gaza became obvious to the entire world, these protests continued and expanded. Meanwhile, team owner “Sylvan Adams described the Gaza war as a contest between "good vs. evil and civilization against barbarism.” according to Wikipedia.

Fast forward to La Vuelta 2025 where the race was interrupted and finally stopped entirely on the final stage in Madrid due to various protesters, including some climate activists and what seemed like the usual “black block” hooligans who show up any time there’s a chance of tear gas, truncheons and fire hoses.

“Sportwashing” by these entities can’t be legislated away like tobacco or alcohol. Pro cycling tried to keep gambling interests out (remember Unibet?) but the Visma team sported “BetCity” logos from January 2023 to January 2025 and of course there’s FDJ’s national lottery as well as Lotto, so it seems the “show me the money!” idea is still in play.

Is there any entity pro cycling will NOT take money from? In 1990 the TVM team traveled to races in a bus supplied by “Sauna Diana” basically a brothel, so where’s the limit? How about porn sites? The brothel seemed OK while MOTOGP already has “Only Fans” painted on motorcycles so what if the sponsor wanted a pro cycling team? Would a pro cycling team bankrolled by neo-Nazis be OK? How about one sponsored by Hamas or Hezbollah? Does pro cycling even care?

Since sportwashing can’t be legislated away (though the International Olympic Committee can exclude countries, as it has done with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine…but so far turned a blind eye towards Israel)  it’s up to the fans (who are demonstrating as we’ve seen in Spain) but what about the riders? Do they have zero interest in where the money in their pay packet comes from? No issues with the name of an authoritarian regime with a dismal human rights record on their chest? During the Spanish protests one rider described himself and others as “pawns in the game”. But that doesn’t happen unless you are a willing pawn as those authoritarian regimes are not forcing you to don their jersey at gunpoint, you are taking the money to represent the sponsor as well as pedal a bicycle. Shouldn’t you care what that sponsor actually does or sells or promotes?

Pro cycling and its fans deserve better. Little doubt there would be less money in the sport if sportwashing was discouraged but what is integrity, humanity and justice worth?

Bike Lights

 There SHALL be light!

Decreed the Italian infrastructure minister in his new national vehicle code. Front and rear, on all the time. So we bought some of these to try. We already have some of those tiny, rubbery things that use the watch batteries but something a bit larger and rechargeable seemed a better idea.

Zio's never believed lights made any difference in the daytime, despite the "saved my life" proclamations from users, but now we have no choice. Not that the law is going to be strictly enforced but if someone runs us over at least they can't claim they didn't see us because we weren't following the law!

NOBODY ever says they SAW the cyclist they've just hit/killed, do they? That would make them a homicidal maniac rather than just some jerk too busy looking as his/her cell phone instead of where the hell they're going. Despite the fact cyclist/pedestrians are rarely at-fault, it seems the penalties are always very lenient for the motorists. It's illegal to talk on a cell phone (you have to use a hands-free setup) but nobody we know has ever seen the law enforced. Our experience is that most of the time if there are issues, it's because the driver was paying more attention to the phone than the road.

So now we'll enjoy all the motorists who don't run us over, don't challenge our right-of-way and generally behave much better as the light users would have us believe. Heck, they might stop honking the horn (bells are now required on bikes too) or yelling at us to get outta the way?

On the other hand cycling in Italy still seems far safer than in the USA, both of us were involved in collisions with automobiles during our cycling lives there. So far, much better luck here though with this bike-hater in-charge of things for how much longer? Most pro cycling teams do their winter training in Spain these days where they find the roads much safer. Why can't Italy do whatever they're doing? One might think the Italian bike industry might lean on some politicians?

Does anyone think there will be a bike lane on the bridge this Italian infrastructure guy wants to build to connect Sicily to the mainland? He doesn't even like cities to set low speed limits (though they work) to reduce cycling and pedestrian injuries caused by motorists.

But we'll comply with the law and cross our fingers.

Lights arrived. We got these tiny ones with rubber band type mounts, but Zio didn't like the space the headlight used-up on the handlebar nor threading the rubber band through the loop sewn onto the seat pack so...

Some changes were needed. A section of an old handlebar was attached under the stem so the rubber band light can easily be hidden out of the way. Other than an ugly zip-tie around the stem, it's all good.

Out back another section of old handlebar was cut-up, leaving a long tab to insert into the loop sewn onto the seat pack. Both of these schemes allow the lights to be easily removed for charging or to use on other bikes. Test ride shows this rear setup needs a rubber band anyway so perhaps it's better to get an extra one and rubber-band it on there more securely?

ETNA 2025

 Volcanic Fun!

Yep, exactly what we were thinking. Time for a break.

So we rented a car from a place right on the island, making driving here not subject to the daily restrictions and blasted-off towards ETNA, figuring a hotel at 6000 feet would let us sleep with the windows open and enjoy riding around, even if the choice is UP (really up!) or DOWN (really down!) The Giro d'Italia finished here and we'd been here another time or two, but never with bicycles and since we brought e-bikes, the "really up!" should be OK. We were already prepared for the "really down!"

We reserved a room at Corsaro Hotel, just a bit away from the tourist chaos (we weren't the only ones trying to get out of the heat) a place VERY bike-friendly as you can see where they let you park your bike! They say this was Michele Scarponi's choice of lodging when he came up here to train, the desk man claiming Scarponi had called to reserve a room just one day before he was tragically killed. Close enough to the craters we could hear the rumbling and one night see the glow of hot lava shooting in the sky. And they have the BEST breakfast ever!

Gravel bikes were OK on the road of course (with slicks) and OK for unpaved roads and even some covered in volcanic ash/sand, as long as it wasn't too deep. Zio Lorenzo had new respect for those 'cross riders racing across sandy beaches, somehow with just 33 mm tires vs the 38's we were sporting!

Trail maps are everywhere but the trails weren't crowded and everyone we encountered was friendly. No anti-bike sentiment here! The roads going up and down are marked with warning signs that cyclists are using these roads for training, though we were just having fun.

The lava behind Zio is new, just 6 months ago this trail was open.

We DID play around some the paved roads a bit, riding up (and down) to Rifugio Sapienza from down below at another hotel before it was time to pack up and call Zio Lorenzo's 70th birthday week complete. But not before a stop at our favorite wine maker - PUGLISI to restock for the rest of the summer. We HAD a car after all!

More chain lube follies

 Chain, chain, chain....

Apologies to Aretha Franklin, but some people are foolish. Recently Zio Lorenzo was taken-to-task by (he assumes) a member of the chain-wax cult when he claimed a chain on his own bicycle showed zero measurable wear after 4000 miles of use, without ever being waxed. Simply oiled now and then.

He doesn't really hate these people but DOES hate the fact they act like anyone not in their cult is somehow a moron..or flat-earther as a certain Australian ex-cop likes to say.

Zio's used Mobil 1 as chain lube for decades with excellent results, but never paid much attention to actual data on wear...until the wax-culters started making some wild claims along with inferences that non wax-culters must be idiots. 

Now he has some.

Odometer reading from the bicycle. MAHLE e-bikes have (like your car) an odometer in them. There's no way that Zio knows of to tamper with them. 3991 kms with maybe 10% of that on dusty trails and the rest on paved roads. Certainly NOT the grueling test protocol "Mr. Friction Fiction" claims to put chains through, but in Zio's opinion probably more representative of normal use without any bias that might make wax seem superior to oil or vice-versa.

This chain was lubed with Mobil 1 SHC 75/90 and nothing else, maybe the first time Zio's actually done so. Usually he'd just grab a lube applicator and drip some oil of one brand or another on (after wiping the chain with a rag) then spin the cranks backwards a few times, wipe off excess and that was that.

Chain was cleaned a few times as part of a bike wash, using a teaspoon or two of simple diesel fuel brushed on the chain and the rest of the drivetrain components, then washed off with simple dish soap. A wipe with a dry rag completed the service. More lube was usually needed after a few hundred kilometers - dripped-on, wiped off.

Above is a new Campagnolo EKAR 13-speed chain, showing (surprise!) zero wear measured by a KMC digital chain checker.

Above is the chain that came on the bike after almost 4000 kilometers.

At least one person implied that something shady was being done with the digital chain checker to cheat on the results. Zio hopes the above shot of a non-digital checker's reading might get them to take off the tinfoil hat!

Bottom line? Use whatever you want on your chain (or mustache, bikini line, etc.) as it's your money and your time. But PLEASE stop trying to make it seem anyone not doing it your way is a Luddite, moron, flat-earther, etc. And pay close attention to what the marketers of these waxing products claim, they have a pretty big financial interest in your purchase of $50 bags o'wax pellets, gizmos to melt the wax in, etc. etc. vs a liter of gear oil for $15.

Updates: Various other bikes in our fleet - Bianchi E-Impulso Allroad used 90% of the time on dusty trails and maintained as above (chain lubed with any lube handy, most of the time Finish Line Green) 11-speed Shimano chain - 5450 km/.19 measured chain wear. 

Bianchi E-Aria 11-speed Shimano chain - 4654 km/.25 (bike bought used and lubed similarly to the first bike) 

Bianchi E-Impulso Allroad 11-speed Shimano (lubed exclusively with cheap, non-synthetic 90 w Repsol gear oil) 

999 km/.18 wear.

Seems like cheap Repsol gear oil is not so good? Worst result by far!

Thoughts on LeTour 2025

 

LeTour 2025

TdF 2025 jersey winners

Zio Lorenzo thinks the above photo pretty much sums up the Tour de France 2025, including the empty mountain points jersey. That's Jonas Vingegaard.

All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Jonas in yellow again. They executed various plans with various levels of efficiency, but no matter what, Visma's boy could never seal the deal. Even Pogacar seemed to grow bored with it all, only coming back-to-life once the race was over with 50 kms left to go in Paris.

Without the Dane glued to his rear wheel, Pogacar returned to racing and almost pulled off the win but CHAPEAU to Wout Van Aert, one of only two Visma team members to win a stage while their leader went winless and never wore the yellow jersey.

And what about Ben Healy? Ben O'Connor and even Quinn Simmons, who proposed to his future wife on the Champs? CHAPEAU!!!!

Vive LeTour!

E-bike vs E-Moped

 E-BIKE vs E-MOPED

Both of these have two wheels, pedals and electric motors, but they're far from the same thing.

Zio calls the one on the left an E-MOPED. Maybe you have to be of a certain age to remember the original - a cheap, gas-powered (usually a stinky, smoky 2-stroke engine) that most described as "beats walking" and little else.

This one isn't smoky, stinky or noisy but it's pretty much the same. Just like with the original the pedals don't do much..you would NOT pedal one of these very far without the help of the motor. They're really heavy and the pedal action (if they don't have an actual controller on the handlebar) doesn't do much but tell the motor how fast you want to go.

We see these all over Italy, ridden for transportation and for fun, especially by foreign tourists who'd rather be outside than inside a tour bus. The one pictured was one of a large group that "rode" to our hotel in Monferrato from Torino, (about 60 miles) in one day they said! The next day they "rode" back. Few of 'em were dressed in any sort of cycling clothing, just casual cargo shorts and sneakers or sandals.

What's wrong with that? Nothing at all. But to us it's really NOT cycling...it's enjoying the countryside from the seat of an electric moped.

The one on the left is what we call an E-BIKE. Perhaps Pinarello's Nytro was the first in the "performance" category - a lighter weight, kind of racy road (or gravel) bike with drop bars for cycling enthusiasts to play with. These go nowhere if you're not pedaling, in most cases the e-assist (assuming you have it on and are using it) stops when you stop pedaling. But other than being 3-5 kg heavier than a similar bike without the battery/motor, you WILL happily pedal one of these along with no e-assist, at least until the road tilts up.

THAT is where they shine. You can select various levels of assist to your own pedaling, shifting the gears when needed as you climb that hill or slog into that headwind. In the EU the assist cuts off at 25 kph, but if you're using it to go uphill, that's fast enough...they're not designed to chase anyone's KOM records! But you ARE cycling, even you have the assist cranked-up to the max.

We're not going to suggest that young, fit and fast cyclists buy these. Enjoy going fast under your own power for as long as you can, but when/if that becomes so tough that riding's not that much fun anymore - a real E-BIKE will get you out there and provide as much exercise/physical challenge as you want. You control that by using (or not) the electric assist.

Monferrato fun 2025

 Fun in Monferrato 2025

Buying new bike

Enjoying great food and wine

What's not to like? Our friends Don & Cindy are here for another week while Zio Lorenzo goes home on Sunday. They liked our e-bikes enough to consider buying some for themselves. Zio took 'em to LaBici, same folks who so nicely helped us with our MAHLE X35 bike issues.

They had Cindy's size on-hand plus a trekking model they will convert to drop bar for Don. Neither really NEEDS all that help on the climbs like Zio Lorenzo, but it's probably when rather than if, so they're going electric now.

But still eating and drinking well as you can see posing with the nice folks at La Ca Nova.

W Italia! W Vacanza!