Velon announces that it has entered into a revolutionary partnership with Infront Sports & Media, the leading international sports marketing company. The deal will give Velon access to Infront’s market leading technology, media production and sports marketing expertise and enable Velon to build a long term and sustainable economic model for the sport, its teams and riders. The first phase of the partnership will enable live race data to revolutionise the fan experience.

This 10 year agreement is a significant step towards Velon achieving its core goals, which are bringing fans closer to the riders, races and teams through technical and media solutions and aggregating the rights of 11 of the biggest teams to improve the financial stability of the sport and thus benefit their staff and riders. Initially, this agreement will provide investment into a technology solution to bring the racing alive in an innovative and meaningful new way for the fans. In order to provide the broadest array of expertise, Infront also involves its subsidiaries Host Broadcast Services (HBS) and Omnigon. The agreement will result in the ability for bikes to carry the necessary technology to live stream performance data and video to feed into the race coverage.

Data capture will include various streams, however what will be publically visible is subject to the outcomes of our discussions with all stakeholders (teams, riders, event organisers, the UCI, broadcasters etc.). This data will be aggregated, interpreted and made available to race organisers for their broadcasters for use in the race coverage. Data will be handled sensitively so as to respect rider privacy rights and will use filters to ensure that live usage does not deliver a competitive advantage or disadvantage during a race.

On the subject of live streaming data from bikes, Graham Bartlett, CEO of Velon commented:

"We are delighted to be partnered with Infront Sports & Media. Our partnership enables us to make a major step forward to enable data to be shared with fans and it is going to be fantastic. Just imagine how great it will be for fans to see the performance of the riders as they follow races on their screens or see them at the race. This is something that has been available in other sports and now we're bringing it to cycling so fans can better engage with the riders and get a much better experience. We have spent over a year investigating potential partners that understood our goals and could assist us in achieving them. Infront have a vast amount of experience in this area and will be pivotal in developing a sustainable and long term future for pro-cycling.”

Stephan Herth, Executive Director of Infront Sports & Media, commented on the agreement: “Cycling is a key sport in Infront’s long-term strategy and also an important pillar of the wider Wanda Sports Holding business. We are therefore proud to partner with Velon in revolutionising the cycling experience of the fans, as well as the way that the sport is positioned and marketed in the digital sphere. Involving also our subsidiaries HBS and Omnigon, we will provide an extensive array of in-house marketing, production and digital experience to Velon, as we fully share the teams’ vision: to engage and grow the global cycling community, enhance the perception of the sport, and ensure long-term economic stability.”  

Richard Plugge, Managing Director LottoNL - Jumbo Pro Cycling Team, said:

“This partnership is a historical step forward for pro cycling. We will be working with one of the biggest sports agencies of the world and I believe this will help us to take the sport where it belongs; in the hearts and minds of the cycling fans. Team LottoNL-Jumbo does this already for a number of years and we can now open it up for all the fans and, in the near future, give them a great experience. Together we want to collaborate with the other stakeholders in cycling to grow the sport and give the teams and thus the riders a more sustainable future.”

Robert Gesink, professional cyclist Team LottoNL-Jumbo:

"One of the goals of Velon is to bring the sport closer to the fans. I can imagine that it's nice for fans to see live data of performances from me and of my rivals. It's good that riders and teams participate in the development of our sport."