Paying a ticket to attend a cyclocross race, mountain bike event, or track tournament is perfectly normal. But charging admission for a road race is almost taboo. While the cycling world has been searching for a new financial business model for years, entry fees could provide an extra revenue stream. Whether that will happen is still uncertain. UCI president David Lappartient is not convinced.
Last week, Jérôme Pineau — former pro and ex-team manager of B&B Hotels-Vital Concept — proposed the idea of charging admission on Alpe d'Huez during the Tour de France. "Let’s close off the final five kilometers of this climb, privatize it. Then it would be possible to charge an entrance fee. We could also host VIPs. Let’s create something to generate money!" he enthusiastically said on a podcast. Marc Madiot (team manager of Groupama-FDJ) was also a guest but didn’t see any potential in the plan.
David Lappartient is also opposed. "If you try to make people pay to see the Tour, you’ll face enormous resistance. Just look at what happens when you mess with the pension system," he pointed out in the French newspaper Ouest France. However, he agreed in the same article that the French tax system and social charges are a burden for French pro teams. "There are many extra costs due to the French model. With the same budget, you get less. That’s a reality that goes beyond sport."
In France, riders are considered employees, whereas in the Netherlands or Belgium, a cyclist often operates as a self-employed contractor. According to French law, this means riders are entitled to holiday pay, pension contributions, and other social obligations. This causes teams to spend up to 35% more per rider compared to other teams. Marc Madiot recently called in the same podcast to have all teams registered in Switzerland going forward, so that the same rules apply to every team.
