David Lappartient, the president of cycling’s world governing body the UCI, has confirmed that he and his organisation are part of the One Cycling negotiations, a proposed project that could change professional cycling as we know it.

One Cycling — the brainchild of Visma-Lease a Bike’s general manager Richard Plugge — is the latest attempt at reshaping cycling’s economic model to boost the financial sustainability of teams and organizers, as well as increasing the sport’s viewership and attention.

Many of the proposal’s leading backers have signaled, both publicly and privately, that they are optimistic that agreements could be finalised shortly with its implementation to take place from 2026, although Lappartient told media at the Santos Tour Down Under that “we are not, at the day of today, at the point of an agreement.”

Things are starting to move. A holding company has been officially registered in the UK.

But what actually is One Cycling and will it happen?

Who’s behind it and what do backers hope to accomplish?

Answering that question is harder than it ought to be, because no one has yet publicly stated what One Cycling is. Let’s dive in.

This article was published on Velo on January 2025. Read the full article here.