“Ideally, the upcoming Netflix series takes the entire cycling world to the next level", says Patrick Lefevere

Sunday, 06 March 2022 at 13:00

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team manager has talked about the rumours of the upcoming series project that is currently under negotiations. Patrick Lefevere has shared his thoughts on the expectations, finances and some more details on Netflix's plan.

“Ideally, the upcoming Netflix series takes the entire cycling world to the next level. And then I hope that the contribution to the teams will increase accordingly. If not, I’ll make my own series again. And it goes to the largest bidder on the market,” Patrick Lefevere said in his weekly column at Het Nieuwsblad where he has many times tackled controversial subjects.

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He went on to share details about the project that is in development, headlined by Netflic and Box to Box Films in collaboration with the ASO and eight World Tour teams, not yet public: “We are one of the teams that work with them. To the extent that people are already coming to our service course next week to make the first recordings. Other teams make different choices. For example, UAE Team Emirates is not participating. And I understand why. Financially – certainly for the teams – it is peanuts. ASO first passes the cash register and then, as usual, there is little left. I have now pledged verbally, but with moderate enthusiasm and with reservations. If the fee for the teams doesn’t go up in the future, it’s not worth it.”

He goes on to add: “I know how it goes with such documentaries. Agreements are made in advance about who and what may be filmed, but it always comes down to the same thing: you shake hands and they want an arm. You can actually see that already: we commit to a project ‘behind the scenes during the Tour’ and next week – mid-March – they will film in our service course. No idea what that has to do with the Tour.”

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Whilst it is yet to be confirmed, The Telegraph has recently reported about the existence of a project similar to Formula 1's Drive to Survive which was reported by The Guardian back in 2021 that the series had brought in 73 million new fans. Whilst the effects on cycling would be unlikely to reach the same numbers, a substantial growth could be expected as the sport would be shown to a new and broader audience.

“It is clear that as a sport we have to provide ‘content’ that goes further than a summary of the course. To use another marketing term, it must be storytelling. The story behind the performance, the person behind the athlete. In 2016, as a team, we made our own documentary – One Year in Blue. It contained a scene in which Marcel Kittel called the whole bus together after a lost sprint. Wilfried Peeters sent the cameras away, but I brought them in again. Because it’s part of the story. If you take out all the friction, you’re showing something that everyone knows isn’t realistic," he concluded.