Far from the madding crowds

Perhaps more than any other sport, cycling actually looked normal this year, despite restrictions on fans. This bodes well for the future of the sport

Of all the professional sports that managed to return in 2020, cycling was arguably the least compromised. There were fewer fans but this did not detract from the spectacle in the way that an empty stadium does at a football match.

If the sport can cling on to any positives, this is one of them.

‘I think that interest globally has not decreased,’ says Tomas Van Den Spiegel, chief executive of Flanders Classics, organiser of the Tour of Flanders. ‘I also think that broadcasters and distributors have realised that cycling is really a very good TV product that they have to keep investing in.

‘That was an important lesson, especially if you compare it to other sports. Football has a hard time making a good product without spectators.’

The Tour of Flanders, effectively held behind closed doors, was a success.

‘In a regular year we have a million people on the course at the Tour of Flanders, but the race this year was very attractive without spectators,’ says Van Den Spiegel. ‘Of course we are into the full picture and having the crowds, the hospitality and the festival type of atmosphere, and we’ll keep investing in that. But we were able to bring the race to cycling fans in a different manner and pull it off, which is very good news for next spring.’