Governance and Reform

The Tour's governance structure—controlled by private company ASO rather than cycling's governing body UCI—creates unique dynamics. This independence allows innovation but also potential conflicts between commercial interests and sporting integrity.

Power Struggles

Tensions between ASO and UCI reflect broader questions about who controls cycling. Should race organizers prioritize entertainment or sporting fairness? Who decides safety standards? How are revenues distributed? These power struggles, often playing out publicly, reveal cycling's fractured governance lacking unified vision.

Reform efforts face structural obstacles. Multiple stakeholders—riders, teams, sponsors, organizers, governing bodies—have conflicting interests. Changes benefiting one group often disadvantage others. Achieving consensus for comprehensive reform proves nearly impossible in environment where short-term commercial interests often override long-term sustainability concerns.