A new revolution could be on the way for the sport of cycling. The Saudi Investment Company SRJ Sport Investments revealed plans to invest around 250 million euros in a new cycling competition. This is a subsidiary of the Saudi government’s powerful Public Investment Fund (PIF), led by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
A New Look at Professional Cycling
According to the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, this investment fund intends to turn the world of cycling upside down from 2026. The organizers of the Tour and Giro, ASO and RCS, responsible for many other races, would not be part of this process, but Flanders Classics, which organizes the Tour of Flanders and other Belgian classics as well as the Tour de Suisse, was interested.
“Founding” Teams
The investment fund is also explicitly involving the teams in the plans. According to Het Laatste Nieuws, eight teams are considered “founders”. The list includes Visma-Lease a Bike, EF Education-EasyPost, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Soudal Quick-Step, BORA-hansgrohe, Lidl-Trek, INEOS Grenadiers and Intermarché-Wanty.
Future Participation
The UAE team would not be directly involved in the early discussions, but would be registered as ‘interested listeners’. Astana Qazaqstan, Movistar, Decathlon, Arkea B&B Hotels, Cofidis, PostNL and the Jayco-AlUla team are currently out of the talks. Information about the status of Bahrain Victorious is still unknown.
If all goes according to plan, the “Super League” will be launched in 2026, following the end of the current World Tour licenses in 2025, paving the way for a new era in professional cycling.