Inside the untapped commercial potential of the Tour de France Sport Business The Tour de France is the most attended annual sporting event with over 12m people attending roadside every year for the historic three-week race. Its UK audience is growing too, with the 2026 broadcast attaining 41 per cent more viewers than the previous year. Despite that scale, many brands still underestimate the breadth of commercial [...]
Beyond the Tour de France: How Girona became a cyclist’s paradise Life&Style Girona quietly welcomes the world’s best cyclists – and the Tour de France. Damien Gabet rides through Spain’s bucolic countryside D’you remember the Festina scandal in 1998? The whole cycling team was caught bang to rights for doping. And because parts of it fell under French criminal law, les flics got involved and the soigneur [...]
Halfords eyes garage growth after wheels fall off cycling boom Retail Retail and autocentre giant Halfords will deliver its full-year results next week, hoping to deliver sustained growth after a Covid-era bike boom. Felix Armstrong profiles the FTSE stalwart Head to the very back of a Halfords store, snaking your way round the air fresheners, tents, brake fluid and torches, and you will find the bike [...]
Nocturne London dazzles as riders take in Square Mile June 15, 2026 The Square Mile was transformed into an Olympic-style time trial cycling circuit at the weekend as Nocturne returned to the City of London. The festival of cycling saw two days of racing around the capital, with XTX Markets winning the City Criterium – a pro-am team event – and Ned’s Club coming home first in [...]
Chelsea to hand Joao Pedro wage boost as club prepare for tough summer June 3, 2026 Chelsea face a difficult summer ahead following their failure to qualify for Europe, but Joao Pedro is set for a base-salary increase that may help them keep hold of one of their star players. The Brazilian forward – a £60m signing from Brighton last summer – was a rare bright spark in an otherwise gloomy [...]
City of London Nocturne return to see fan zone bonanza May 20, 2026 Britain’s biggest festival might take place in a field in Somerset, but we are proud to be bringing the festival atmosphere to the heart of the capital with the return of the City of London Nocturne. Cycling fans get the chance to see some of the world’s best on two wheels in action, but even [...]
Ratcliffe’s Ineos signs £85m deal with Netcompany for grand tour cycling team April 28, 2026 Ineos has struck an £87m deal with Netcompany which will see the IT services firm become co-title partner of the Grenadiers grand tour cycling team. The Netcompany Ineos Cycling Team will debut at next week’s Giro d’Italia and see the cycling team – once Team Sky – have a third-party sponsor besides Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s [...]
London set for £12m boost as host of Tour de France Femmes team time trial April 20, 2026 London is set for a £12m boost when the Tour de France Femmes heads to the capital for the grand tour’s first ever team time trial in 2027. Both the men’s and women’s Grands Depart will take place in the UK in July and August next year, but only the women’s peloton will ride around [...]
Nocturne: Why elite cycling is returning to City’s streets March 18, 2026 We are excited to be bringing cycling back to the Square Mile with The City of London Nocturne this June. Raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, this is a new event which takes inspiration from the original Smithfield Nocturne, which I was fortunate to organise for a decade, finishing in 2017. The return of [...]
Emirates boss on Arsenal stadium, leaving F1 and NBA Europe February 26, 2026 Matt Hardy talks sponsorship and strategy with the executive vice president of corporate communications, marketing and brand at global airline Emirates. At the end of the Premier League season 11 teams will be forced to change their front-of-shirt sponsor and, for some sides, the brand on their strip is synonymous with a particular era of [...]