“We don’t want you here anymore” – Tour de France organisers threaten action against beloved PCS camper

The beloved Pro Cycling Stats campervan has become a staple of the Tour de France summer scene, parked among fans and handing out coffee to journalists, riders, and even the occasional race organiser. But this year, that quiet presence has drawn the ire of race owners ASO, who have threatened PCS with legal action.

According to a statement issued by PCS before the race began, “ASO more or less forced us to hide our PCS branding during every stage, from publicity caravan to broom wagon. We’ve become less visible, almost invisible.”

Still, they haven’t left. “Yet we’re still there, parked among the fans, cheering every stage, even if it feels like we’re fading into the background,” the statement continued. “If you do spot us, please come say hi. Whether you’re a fan, journalist, team director, or even an ASO staffer, there’s always a cup of coffee waiting at the camper.”

The situation escalated behind the scenes in early June, when ASO sent an email to PCS CEO Stephan van der Zwan. According to BikeRadar, the message made it clear: ASO considers itself the “exclusive owner of the exploitation rights for the cycling events” it organises, including the Tour de France, La Vuelta, and Paris–Roubaix.

The email accused PCS of “riding on the coat tails of certain ASO events for which it holds no media accreditation by conspicuously parking a campervan branded with the ‘ProCyclingStats.com’ trademark.”

Van der Zwan says a tense meeting followed. “I opened the meeting and had five people against me instead of one, including their highest lawyer. They only wanted to tell me ‘We don’t want you here anymore.’”

The impasse was resolved with a compromise: PCS would remain, but the branding had to go. Van der Zwan has leaned into the absurdity of the demand with a tongue-in-cheek workaround.