23 WAYS TO MAKE PRO RACING SUSTAINABLE

Pro cycling's epic scale and globe-trotting nature are part of its appeal but they don't help its sustainability credentials. Chris Marshall-Bell sounds out those involved in the sport to come up with a manifesto to improve it right now

- Chris Marshall-Bell

It’s a confounding fact that the racing side of a sport that uses the greenest mode of transport has a shockingly negative impact on the environment.

Whether it’s riders frequently flying across the globe, support staff driving the length and breadth of Europe, the diesel-running team buses and trucks, or the immense challenge of moving race infrastructure around regions and countries, cycle racing has a carbon footprint that shames the clean machine at its centre.

We’re not naive enough to think that cycle racing can halt the climate crisis, but we’re convinced it doesn’t have to remain such a big polluter. We asked people involved in the sport to present their ideas on how bike racing can become greener and more sustainable right now, without it negatively impacting the spectacle of racing itself.

1. Regular conversations

“The first step we need to take is to raise ideas, create discussion and have these conversations much more regularly,” says Ronny Lauke, team manager of CanyonSR AM. Many teams privately admitted to CW that climate and sustainability meetings and projects are rare events. “It’s essential we have focused meetings on this,” Lauke goes on. “If there are 30 people in a room and you ask a question, at least one person will have an answer or an idea, and then the other 29 people can hear it, spread the word and get started on finding a solution. If we persist in not talking about it, we won’t find solutions. We need a combined effort between everyone to set some standards and make cycling a role model within sport.”

2. Smaller teams