The governing body of cycling, the UCI, has persistently attacked the Hammer Series - using regulations to remove its title as a Series and preventing new race formats being developed. This discrimination and anti-competitive behaviour caused Velon to file its Complaint to the EU Commission in 2019 but the UCI’s attacks on the races and the Series have not stopped.
Recently the UCI prevented Hammer Stavanger from adding a women’s race with full parity of prize money, broadcast and race format to the men's race (while approving and moving other women’s races to overlap on the same weekend). These actions have made it impossible for Velon and its race organiser partners to successfully develop the Hammer Series and its races. As a result of this continued attack, the Velon Board convened and took the decision not to hold the Hammer Series in 2020.
Velon, the owner of the Hammer Series, is working closely with the race organisers of the existing Hammer races regarding the operation of their events planned for 2020 in light of the actions of the UCI. The race organiser of Hammer Stavanger, Tour des Fjords AS, and Velon have together decided to suspend Hammer Stavanger for 2020. The race had planned to expand to a women’s event, with full parity of prize money, broadcast and race format for the women’s teams, but the UCI blocked the race and in doing so cost the race organiser key funding and sponsorship.
Velon and its teams will continue with the anti-competition complaint against the UCI that it submitted to the European Commission last September. This Complaint was expanded on the grounds of gender discrimination in November 2019. The Complaint requested the European Commission to investigate the anti-competitive actions of the UCI relating to the Hammer Series, its digital platform VelonLive as well as other areas of the teams’ business and Velon continues to work with the European Commission with the aim of stopping the UCI from using its regulatory power in an anti-competitive way.
The Hammer Series and its races have gathered widespread support from participating teams, riders and millions of fans who watched the fast-paced “Climb, Sprint and Chase” format of racing in Norway, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. The purpose of the Hammer Series is for it to grow into a 10 race series across key European and international markets that would offer fans the season-long narrative the sport so badly needs, linking together exciting short-form, high impact races, and helping to bring new (younger) fans into the sport. Women cyclists feel particularly let down by the UCI's decision, as they were looking forward to their first opportunity to compete in a women's Hammer Series this summer in Norway.
Hammer Youth Limburg, which today is the biggest youth road cycling event in the Netherlands, will take place as planned on 6-7 June 2020. The Hammer Series is delighted to continue this legacy event, which was founded in 2017 as part of Hammer Limburg, in partnership with the Limburg cycling club, the Bergklimmers, with the ongoing support of the Limburg Province and host partner Sittard-Geleen. The 2020 edition is being organised in close cooperation with local event organisers and will feature an exciting combination event with the Omloop van de Maasvallei.
Velon is owned by 11 WorldTour teams, all of whom have expressed their deep disappointment at the suspension of the Hammer Series and Hammer Stavanger and the UCI’s use of its regulatory power to block the partnership between teams and race organisers on which the Hammer Series is built.
Following the meeting of the Velon board on Thursday, Luca Guercilena, General Manager, Trek-Segafredo, said: "Innovation. This was the concept that we would expand in the old cycling world when Hammer Series was created. The powerful engine of new ideas gave us the motivation to look into our sport with a new perspective knowing that this challenge would drive us to bright future for men and women's cycling. Having this dream killed by the institutional body with constant limitations to the teams is not understandable.
“We are certain that Hammer Series was the right concept to make cycling more interesting for the general public and we are sure the Hammer Series format will come back stronger than before.”
Shayne Bannon, General Manager, Mitchelton-SCOTT, said: "We fought hard to win the Hammer Series in 2018, and everyone in our team, riders and staff, wants it to continue.
“But the UCI has stifled every attempt to take Hammer to new locations around the world and we now want to place matters in the hands of the European Commission, where we believe our case will win and we'll be able to bring Hammer back for fans in the future."
Iwan Spekenbrink, CEO, Team Sunweb, said: “The Hammer Series was created to make cycling more exciting and to bring the sport closer to the fans. In the inaugural race our team finished in second place by less than a second on the final day in a truly thrilling finale.
“We would very much have liked to build on that as a truly international competition and most certainly to expand it to women’s cycling. The current regime unfortunately does not allow for that to happen, so we had to pause this project and - once the climate is favourable again for global innovations with the teams and their riders at the heart of our sport – to re-launch it on a major global scale, for both men and women.”
Ralph Denk, CEO, BORA-hansgrohe, said: “It is a shame that we have been forced to take this step. Our aim with the Hammer Series was to provide cycling with a new face, and to appeal to new and younger target audiences. We the teams, and Velon, will certainly continue to work towards bringing cycling into a new era, and it would be nice if the UCI was willing to take this step forward with us.”
Bessel Kok, Chairman, Deceuninck - Quick-Step, said: “How is it possible that the UCI as a governing body of professional cycling, which claims to pursue a reform of the sport dedicates huge resource and time to destroy the value of a new innovative race series such as the Hammer Series which addresses many of the weaknesses of the sport, just because the teams actually have an economic interest in the series? And then goes further and uses EUR 1 million of the teams World Tour Reserve Fund to settle its own legal cost related to the lawsuit against Velon?”
“Everyone who wants to see the sport grow and succeed should reject the way the UCI acts against the cycling teams in this way. The time has come for the UCI to return to its mission as a governing body of the sport and stop managing our sport in a way detrimental to the teams.”
Jim Ochowicz, CEO, CCC Team, said: “We are very disappointed to see the Hammer Series cancelled in the current circumstances. At a time when cycling needs to keep evolving as a business model and source of fan engagement, the Hammer Series was an excellent introduction to the racing calendar, offering a unique racing format and the chance to connect with fans worldwide. We will do everything we can to see it return in the future.”
Jonathan Vaughters, CEO, EF Education First Pro Cycling, said: “Hammer Series was an innovative way for teams to try and develop a new business model in cycling. Someday, for this sport to succeed, teams and race owners will need to be in the same business. Hammer was a start to that.”
Steffen Kronmann, CEO, Riwal-Readynez, said: “Having participated in the Hammer Stavanger event last year and bringing home a huge amount of success from that in competing against the top teams of the World, we’re very disappointed that the Hammer Series aren’t being welcomed by all instances of the sport. It’s worrisome for the future of cycling, that innovative and creative new ideas are being held down, and a shame that Velon have come to the decision to suspend the Series in 2020. That said, we fully support the decision made by Velon and hope for a fast solution to the current situation, so they can continue their hard work to innovate and grow the sport we all love.”
Velon launched the Hammer Series in Limburg, Netherlands, in June, 2017, and made the races available free-to-watch online for fans around the world. In 2018, the Series was expanded to three races, including Hammer Stavanger, Hammer Limburg and Hammer Hong Kong.
Riders described the Hammer Series as being the hardest races of the year because of the non-stop efforts needed on the circuit-based courses which also allowed fans at the roadside to see them many times instead of just once as they pass by in traditional point-to-point races.
Live rider data, live on-bike cameras and cameras in team cars (all technology pioneere
Velon launched the Hammer Series in Limburg, Netherlands, in June, 2017, and made the races available free-to-watch online for fans around the world. In 2018, the Series was expanded to three races, including Hammer Stavanger, Hammer Limburg and Hammer Hong Kong.
Riders described the Hammer Series as being the hardest races of the year because of the non-stop efforts needed on the circuit-based courses which also allowed fans at the roadside to see them many times instead of just once as they pass by in traditional point-to-point races.
Live rider data, live on-bike cameras and cameras in team cars (all technology pioneered and delivered by Velon in some of the world’s biggest professional cycling races, as well as the Hammer Series) have helped to drive online viewing figures to nearly 30 million over three years. In 2019 the Hammer Series was broadcast in more than 140 countries. At the same time the Hammer Series reached a much younger audience than traditional cycling with 79% of the viewers being under the age of 45.
Velon’s shareholding teams are: BORA-hansgrohe, CCC Team, Deceuninck - Quick-Step, EF Education First, Lotto Soudal, Mitchelton-SCOTT, Team INEOS, Team Jumbo-Visma, Team Sunweb, Trek-Segafredo and UAE Team Emirates.