Velon

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Velon is a joint venture of UCI WorldTeams . The group was unveiled to the public in November 2014 and continues the informal Avignon Project that these cycling teams founded during the 2013 Tour de France .

Velon's declared goals are to develop new sources of income, create a cohesive racing calendar, introduce new technologies that show what is happening from the perspective of the drivers (such as bike cameras that were already used in the 2014 season), as well as the Securing a better economic future for sport through increased cooperation between teams and other stakeholders. The previous model with sponsors is too "fragile". For the Giro d'Italia 2015 , Velon signed a contract with the organizer RCS Sport for the use of the cameras attached to the bikes. Velon announced to cooperate with the world cycling association Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the race organizers and the Association Internationale des Groupes Cyclistes Professionnels (AIGCP).

The eleven founding members of Velon were Belkin , BMC , Garmin Sharp , Lampre-Merida , Lotto Belisol , Omega Pharma-Quick Step , Orica GreenEdge , Giant-Shimano , Sky , Tinkoff-Saxo and Trek Factory Racing .

In autumn 2015 it became known that the members of Velon had presented their drivers with a proposal to supplement the contract called the Velon Addendum , with which the drivers would assign their image rights and rights to health and performance data to the respective operators. Background to a dispute between Velon and the Tour de France organizer Amaury Sport Organization be on the use of these rights. Velon said the organization is not involved in contractual matters between teams and drivers. The Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA) drivers' union and individual driver agents have advised against signing the agreement. The Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) questioned the legality of this measure, "which is carried out by an association not officially recognized by the international cycling authorities" and called on the UCI to end "such practices".

Velon was the organizer of the Hammer Series , one of a series of three-day team competitions . In autumn 2019, Velon filed an antitrust complaint against the UCI with the European Commission because the UCI, taking advantage of its position as a sports association, had obstructed the Hammer Series and tried to market the live racing data of the Velon riders. As a result of these disputes, the 2020 Hammer Series was canceled .

Velon is chaired by Graham Bartlett from Britain , who previously worked for UEFA and major sports brands.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 11 WorldTour teams create Velon business group. cyclingnews.com, November 25, 2014, accessed November 5, 2015 .
  2. ↑ RCS Sport e Velon siglano un accordo per il 98 ° Giro d'Italia sulle riprese dalle biciclette. gazzetta.it, May 7, 2015, accessed May 8, 2015 (Italian).
  3. ↑ Velon addendum leaked: Riders instructed not to sign. cyclingtips.com.au, November 5, 2015, accessed November 5, 2015 .
  4. ↑ European Cycling Federation criticizes Velon contracts. radsport-news.com, December 5, 2015, accessed December 5, 2015 .
  5. ↑ Velon and Infront bring a new racing format: The Hammer Series. radsport-news.com, March 1, 2017, accessed June 4, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Stephen Farrand: Velon starts legal battle with UCI via European Commission anti-trust complaint. In: cyclingnews.com. October 1, 2019, accessed October 1, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Velon files antitrust complaint against UCI. In: radsport-news.com. October 3, 2019, accessed October 3, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Hammer Series is canceled in 2020. In: radsport-news.com. March 6, 2020, accessed March 6, 2020 .