‘Cycling should stay free’ – new president of race organisers association Javier Guillén adds voice to opposition on ticketing spectators

Vuelta a España boss and new race organisers association AIOCC president Javier Guillén has added his voice to those opposing charging fans for entrance to races.

Guillén was voted new president of the AIOCC for a four-year term in the association’s AGM, succeeding Tour de France boss Christian Prudhomme in the role.

Guillén’s words echoed those of the previous week by an official from ASO – which oversees the running of the Vuelta a España as well as the Tour de France and many other top races – saying that charging fans for events “is absolutely not on the current agenda.”

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Guillén was more open to the idea of putting a salary cap on teams, saying “There’s also been a debate about that, we would like to continue talking about it because it’s something we have to discuss. We don’t know what the final result will be, but cycling has to keep on talking about the problems we have, so why not keep discussing it with the UCI and the teams?”

Guillén lived through what was surely his toughest ever Vuelta last September as the event suffered multiple disruptions by pro-Palestine protestors demonstrating against the presence of Israel-Premier Tech in the race. But he expressed optimism that following the recent changes to the team name and sponsor, things would be calmer in the future.

“I’m not going into the reasons for it, but everybody knows that this change has happened, not only of nationality but also the owner.

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“It’s clear that situation will help us and everybody to be in a different situation to the past. We want tranquility and normality. I think it’ll help everybody to have the cycling we always had, so I think in this question we have to be optimistic for the future.”

While recognising that the overlaps between different races on the calendar were an issue that needed resolving, Guillen said the lack of information about the much-publicised OneCycling Project – of which there has not been any major news for months – made it hard to know what it truly represented.

“Honestly, I can’t discuss a project I don’t know, I know the UCI has been in touch with OneCycling representatives, but I don’t think they presented any kind of project,” he insisted. “That’s why, with all respect, I don’t really know what OneCycling means, and if we don’t know what it’s about, and if I don’t know what it’s about, I can’t really say if I’m in favour or not.”

“But in any case, it’s the UCI that decides about the race calendar, and while the UCI doesn’t say anything about this new project, neither can I.”

Guillén was not overly enthusiastic about the idea of “sharing the cake,” as one journalist put it, of current race revenue, but he did appear more interested in future sources of income, as well as the idea of new parts of the world like Mexico or Africa playing host to new races.

“I’m totally open to talking about any issue, but we’ve been talking about these points many times in recent years. When we talk about sharing the cake, we have to be honest, it’s not about sharing the cake we have, it’s about sharing what we have to do all together to try to find new incomes.”

“If we share what we have, nobody’s stronger, maybe all we’re doing is making people weaker. But I’m totally open to dialogue, but also to finding out new solutions, rather than old solutions that have never worked at any time.”

Beyond Guillén’s election to president, there were virtually no other major changes in the organigram in the AIOCC AGM, other than Tour of Flanders’ official Wim Van Herreweghe being replaced as a vice-president by Tour de France technical director Thierry Gouvenou.