“People must understand they’re not wasting money – we’re providing a service”: Controversial plans to charge fans to watch cycling at roadside gather support
Cycling
The idea of charging fans to stand beside the road during a bike race – long considered unthinkable in cycling’s free-to-watch tradition – is gaining surprising traction. Days after Jerôme Pineau caused a stir by suggesting the 2026 Tour de France could “privatise” the upper slopes of Alpe d’Huez, former Milano–Sanremo winner turned race organiser Filippo Pozzato has defended a similar approach as essential to the sport’s survival.
Now a race organiser with PP Sport Events, Pozzato insists that ticketing is not elitist, but simply a necessary evolution in a sport that can no longer rely on shrinking public subsidies.
“People must understand they’re not wasting money – we’re providing a service, as well as the show of the race,” Pozzato told SpazioCiclismo. “We’re the only sport that doesn’t have a ticketing model. You can’t always depend on cities and regions – they’re struggling to finance events. Cycling can’t keep surviving like this.”
From the Veneto Classic to a wider movement
Pozzato has already introduced paid entry zones at his own Veneto Classic, where spectators buy €10 tickets for access to the Tisa climb, complete with big screens, music, food, and entertainment.
“When I applied this model for the first time, people insulted me. They said I wanted to create a class divide. But you pay €15 to watch a lower-league football match – why shouldn’t you pay something to see the best cyclists in the world?”
Pozzato said that after initial backlash, attitudes have shifted. “In the first years, everyone was angry about paying. Now the feedback is positive,” he explained. “We’ve built an area with screens, a DJ, and proper catering. The goal is to create an economically self-sufficient system – otherwise, it’s all pointless.”
This year, he revealed, 720 spectators bought tickets to the climb – a modest number by stadium standards, but a record for his event. “The dream is to reach a thousand, then raise the price and the quality of the experience so people come back because it’s worth it,” he said.
“You have to educate people”
For Pozzato, the key lies in changing perceptions. Charging for roadside access, he argues, is not about excluding fans but about offering value.
“You have to educate people to understand that they’re not throwing money away. You’re giving them a service and an experience. It’s also a way to bring younger people into cycling. Outside the Giro d’Italia, hardly anyone comes to the roadside anymore – we need to make it fun again.”
He believes smaller events in particular must diversify revenue if they are to survive. “If we don’t move towards this model, all the smaller Italian races will die. Apart from those run by RCS Sport, the rest can’t keep going. They’re run by enthusiasts, not professionals.”
“It has to become a show”
Pozzato’s view echoes Pineau’s broader argument that cycling’s funding model is outdated, but he approaches it from a promoter’s perspective rather than a team manager’s.
“In cycling, everyone wants to do things the way they’ve always been done,” he said. “I want things to change, because it’s not sustainable for anyone. It has to be a show – a spectacle. You don’t need to distort the sport, but you do need to treat it as entertainment.”
He points to the Belgian Classics as inspiration. “I took the model from Flanders,” he said. “There, people pay €500 for hospitality. Here, it’s hard to get people to pay €10. But if you want a quality product, services cost money.”
The direction of travel
Whether the rest of the cycling world will follow remains uncertain. Pozzato admits he feels “alone against a million”, but nevertheless, he still insists that the sport must take responsibility for its own sustainability.
“I tried to talk to the League about it but got no response. There’s no business vision. The important thing is to create a quality product that has real value,” he said.
With Pineau calling for paid access to Alpe d’Huez and Pozzato already charging at the Veneto Classic, a once-taboo idea is slowly entering mainstream conversation. The question now is whether cycling’s century-old tradition of free roadside viewing can coexist with a financial reality that demands change.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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