ANALYSIS | From solo to team: How cycling teams have evolved over the last 100 years

Professional cycling has undergone a complete transformation since the inaugural Tour de France in 1903. Aside from the obvious advancements in technology and performance, the evolution of the teams, including their financial structures, sponsorship models, and support systems, has transformed the sport into something completely unrecognisable to what it was like 100 years ago.

From the independence of early riders to the corporate-like machine of today’s teams, today we’re going to explore just how much cycling teams have changed in the past 100 years, and why it is now very much a team sport. And we’re wondering, who would be the sport’s number 1 if cycling was still such an individual sport?

The first Tour de France was as raw as it could have possibly been. Imagine a rider now entering the Tour on his own, with no mechanic or nutritionist, let alone a team bus, to support him along the way. There’s just about no chance they’d make it to Paris, but one hundred years ago cycling was very much a solo sport.

Participants relied entirely on themselves to navigate the 2,428 kilometres course spread across six stages. Equipment was rudimentary, roads were poorly maintained, and riders often carried their own spare parts and food. We can’t imagine Tadej Pogacar or Jonas Vingegaard would fancy carrying a spare wheel with them through the Pyrenees. Victory was not only a matter of physical strength, but also a test of just how resourceful a rider could be. For most, the primary motivation was personal glory, as the modest prizes offered by race organizers provided very little financial incentive.

By the 1930s, the landscape of professional cycling had begun to change. Teams organised by national federations became common in events like the Tour de France, and for the first time, riders could depend on a level of external support. These teams were often funded by bicycle manufacturers and local businesses, marking the beginning of sponsorship in cycling. Still, resources were limited, and riders frequently handled their own repairs, nutrition, and logistics. Success remained largely an individual pursuit, with teamwork and external assistance playing only a minimal role. But things were about to change.

The post-war era brought significant advancements in team’s structure and their resources. The introduction of trade teams, backed by commercial entities, ushered in a new era of professionalism that cycling had never seen before. By the 1970s, cycling teams began to operate with a level of organization that reflected the growing commercial interest in the sport, and sponsors saw the potential for brand exposure through televised races and iconic events like the Tour de France.

Teams expanded to include the roles we are now familiar with, such as directors, mechanics, and soigneurs, offering riders strategic guidance, technical support, and physical care throughout races. Innovations such as the team car allowed managers to provide real-time assistance and tactical advice during races, dramatically changing the sport's dynamics.

Modern cycling teams have elevated professionalism to an entirely new level, resembling multinational corporations in their scale and operation. Budgets for top teams like the INEOS Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates now exceed $50 million annually, with a significant portion funded by title sponsors. According to reports from the UCI, sponsorship accounts for up to 70% of a professional team’s budget, underscoring the commercial nature of contemporary cycling. We’re now at a point the sport where a main priority for a team is winning sponsors, or they’re simply never going to make their way to the front of the peloton. At the same time, teams must also prioritise UCI points to either secure or gain their WorldTour license, and it is incredibly difficult to do this without substantial financial backing from sponsors.

Today’s teams are also far larger and more specialised than those of yesteryear. A typical WorldTour team employs not only riders but also a wide array of support staff, including not just those you see in the team car, but also nutritionists, physiologists, and sports scientists. These experts analyse data from training sessions and races to refine strategies and maximize performance. The introduction of power meters, wearable technology, and advanced communication tools has further revolutionized how teams operate, allowing them to make data-driven decisions in real time. Some of these words and ideas would have been completely foreign to even the most prepared riders a hundred years ago.

Then there’s the role of the media, whose involvement in cycling cannot be underestimated. Teams now employ dedicated communications staff to manage their social media presence, interact with fans, all to ensure they’re keeping their sponsors happy and attracting new sponsors on board. In the early days of cycling, media coverage was limited to race reports in newspapers but today, live broadcasts are just the bare minimum fans expect. A fan will pick up their phone, open up social media, and can interact with their favourite riders on their or watch behind-the-scenes documentaries to bring them even closer to the action than ever before.

Comparing the first Tour de France to what we see today is quite literally like comparing two different sports. Ok, you could say the same about most sports, but when you actually look deeper, cycling is one of the ones that has changed the most. It was once a true solo sport, it’s now one where it’s impossible to compete without a team of hundreds of staff.

In 1903, riders often competed individually or in loosely organised teams with minimal resources. Today, teams consist of up to 30 riders supported by extensive staff and operate on multi-million-euro budgets. The integration of support systems, from team chefs to medical staff, highlights how far the sport has come in prioritizing rider well-being and as well as performance. It’s certainly come a long day since a can of coke and cigarettes would do the trick!

It is difficult to comprehend quite how much preparation goes in to one race. Within just one team, managers and bosses have to draw people together from every corner of the world, creating a logistical nightmare as they try to organise hundreds of people around one goal: to win. And we've barely even touched on the technological and scientific aspects of the sport, as sports scientists and team doctors are constantly discovering new ways to enhance riders performance, training and recovery. Of course, scenarios like the current carbon monoxide controversy put a dark cloud on this aspect of the sport, but for the most part, sports science is a remarkable reflection of human evolution.

Despite these advancements, the essence of cycling remains unchanged: it is still a test of just how far someone can push themselves on the bike. However, the ways in which riders prepare for the ultimate physical test have evolved significantly. Marginal gains, a philosophy popularized by teams like the INEOS Grenadiers encapsulate the modern approach to performance. Teams now analyse every possible factor, from aerodynamics to sleep patterns, in their quest for victory. This meticulous attention to detail would have been unthinkable in the early 20th century, but now you absolutely cannot go without it.

One of the most striking aspects of modern cycling is the level of collaboration and communication within teams. When we watch Tadej Pogacar on our tv screens ripping up the peloton with an attack, there’s so many bodies behind the scene that make that possible. Yes, he’s got incredible talent, but could he have done that without a team behind him? Absolutely not.

Many fans would love to see a Tour de France free for all, where it was every man for themselves with no team in the background to offer support. And that’s where we leave this article; who would be the best in the peloton if they had to do it all themselves?