“I will definitely talk to the Saudis” – One Cycling gets huge boost as UCI confirm talks

The UCI is preparing to engage in discussions with the Saudi investors backing the One Cycling initiative, according to UCI president David Lappartient.

“Of course we want to enter into discussions with the Saudi investors,” Lappartient told WielerFlits. “We are always open to sit down with potential investors in our sport. I have told the Saudi investors that they are welcome in cycling. But, we have to do it together and work together. You can’t come in and tell us how to organize our competition without having good, solid discussions with the UCI.”

Lappartient indicated that previous contact with the group was limited and came too late in the process to be meaningful. He pointed to existing relationships with senior figures in Saudi Arabia but noted that conversations around OneCycling have remained at a relatively low level. “We will probably have to take it to a higher level to find a solution.”

Despite growing attention around the project, the UCI president admitted to confusion about its fundamentals. “I still don’t know how OneCycling is supposed to work. And how the business model works. We as UCI asked the representatives these questions. We didn’t get any clear answers. That’s an important point for us. We can’t have two divisions in the WorldTour. One with the races in One Cycling and one with the races that are outside One Cycling.”

He also reiterated a rule-based objection to the concept of teams organizing races. “The other important point is that the teams cannot be the organiser of races or a series of races. That combination is not allowed according to the UCI rules. And that is also something we do not want.”

Lappartient confirmed that a formal meeting with Saudi officials is likely to happen later this year when the UCI Urban World Championships take place in the country. “I will definitely talk to the Saudis. We have the UCI Urban World Championships in Saudi Arabia this fall and I will definitely meet the people involved there.”

Looking beyond the OneCycling debate, Lappartient emphasized the importance of building on recent progress. “First of all, I want to continue the good work we have done in recent years. It is important to continue to grow the sport worldwide.

“A key point will certainly also be the Super World Championships. We saw in Glasgow 2023 that combining the different disciplines in a compact programme was a great success. Our goal is to continue this and to make this Super World Championships one of the biggest sporting events in the world.”