Will the Super League start in 2026? All the keys to One Cycling's project that would revolutionize cycling

Is cycling about to change as we know it? Rumours of the creation of a Super League have been growing over the past 2 years. At first, it wasn't taken too seriously. But now it looks like it's going to be a reality.

Last June 2024, Cycling News made it known that One Cycling, the name the Super League will bear, managed to find the necessary funding from a private Saudi Arabian investor. Almost a year later, Wielerflits has managed to bring to light important new details about this ambitious project. Chief among them is that there is nothing that can stop the creation of the Super League. The final details are already being worked out, and the competition is planned to start in 2026.

The idea of One Cycling has always been led by Richard Plugge, director of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. One of the main premises for which this Super League was conceived is based on the fact that cycling is in danger of falling further and further behind due to conservatism and deep divisions. For that reason, there was a need to look for new investors to help revolutionize the competition as it is known today.

In recent months, the Super League idea has not gone unnoticed among the most important figures in the peloton. For example, UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Joxean Matxín's view on the matter was very clear: he does not believe that anything should be done for the teams themselves, but cycling could do with some centralization in the organization.

"Here (in cycling) maybe the fact that there are so many organizers means that there are so many individualized interests. To be able to organize something beyond your own race or individual races, to create a collective that prevails over individuality can be interesting," said the UAE boss.

However, not everything is settled. Right now, the main problem One Cycling is facing is that of the ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation). ASO is one of the main organizers of racing events. The French are totally against the Super League, and are trying to boycott it in order to remain in control.

What does this mean? That the Super League would not feature in its format major races such as the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Nice and the Criterium du Dauphiné.

However, that has not deterred One Cycling. The Super League wants its competitions to be able to be run in conjunction with those of the ASO without any problems. But of course, starting a Super League without the Tour de France is far from the ideal scenario. In the end, it is the biggest race in the world, the one that attracts the most teams, fans, sponsors..., attracts the most.

For David Lappartient, president of the UCI, there is a dual interest:

It should also be noted that ASO has races in Saudi Arabia. In cycling, it organizes the AlUla Tour. Also the Dakar Rally in motorsport. So One Cycling could leverage it to put pressure on ASO from that location.

Despite the problems mentioned above, on paper there is a good plan. It is not yet clear how it will work in practice. But the cycling Super League is practically a reality. With or without ASO, it looks like a project that will come into being. In fact, if it were not for ASO's refusal, it is very likely that its birth would have already been made official.