Van Aert supports ticketing roadside fans
Wout van Aert has added his voice to the growing chorus who support charging fans to watch bike races from the roadside, citing cyclocross as an example.
"If you charge €5 entry fee, that doesn’t mean it’s no longer for the people," Van Aert told De Tijd. "Cyclocross asks for entry money, and nothing is more ‘of the people’ than that."
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider added that it's not just a matter of maintaining the culture and tradition of cycling, but of actually sustaining the sport's very existence, pointing to the vulnerability facing teams under the current structure, i.e. when the withdrawal of sponsors can result in the complete collapse of a team, like Arkéa-B&B Hotels, for instance.
"I think that fragility would be much less of an issue if, alongside sponsorship income, there were also revenues coming from the sport itself,” Van Aert said. “From TV rights, for example, or other organisations...
"Correct me if I’m wrong, but a major race like the Ronde [Tour of Flanders] or the Tour [de France] stands or falls with us — the riders and teams who come to take part. But as a team we don’t even receive compensation that covers the cost of that participation. That should really be a minimum. The pie could be divided more fairly."
