British Cycling Events announced a long-term strategic partnership with global sports, events and representation company, IMG, to support the long-term growth and sustainability of the federation’s events portfolio and generate new revenue to reinvest into the sport.
The six-year partnership, will see IMG provide its industry-leading expertise in production, media rights distribution, commercial partnerships, digital marketing and advisory services for the Lloyd’s Bank Tour of Britain events. In addition, IMG will provide strategic advisory services for British Cycling Events’ wider portfolio and operations.
The partnership aligns with British Cycling’s long-term vision for major events which was unveiled earlier this year, following a game-changing new partnership with Lloyds Bank, secured in partnership with IMG, and the successful delivery of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women in June and Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men last month.
Recognised as the country’s largest free-to watch sporting event, both races saw more than 1 million people lining the roadside but most importantly successfully delivered positive social impact in each of its host locations. From boosting physical activity to increasing civic pride and providing opportunities for marginalised groups.
The partnership will help take the organisations’ major events, including the Tour of Britain Men’s and Women’s races, to the next level – improving the experience for fans, spectators, athletes, communities and partners alike.
British Cycling CEO, Jon Dutton, said:
“IMG are renowned across the world for being at the cutting edge of sport and entertainment, and this new long-term partnership signals the scale of our ambition to grow the reach of our events and unlock the true potential of our sport."
"We’re on the cusp of an exciting new chapter in British Cycling’s history, with a renewed purpose to bring the joy of cycling to everyone, and we believe that IMG’s world-leading insight and guidance will further accelerate our progress in the years ahead.”
Robbie Henchman, President, Global Partnerships at IMG, said:
“This partnership is a unique opportunity to build upon and deliver a new purpose-led vision for British Cycling. The game-changing agreement with Lloyds Bank will help boost access to cycling through innovative events and concepts that have the potential to engage people of all ages in new and meaningful ways.”
“Through IMG’s global network and unparallelled expertise, we have the capabilities to help further reinvigorate the sport, attract new fans and drive deeper engagement with its dedicated fan base, enabling British Cycling Events to extend its investment into cycling at all levels.”
British Cycling Events is a wholly-owned subsidiary of British Cycling, which has in recent years delivered events including UCI Track Champions League rounds in London and the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women and Men. British Cycling Events is led by Managing Director Jonathan Day.
Speaking ahead of the partnership launch, Day added:
“The successful delivery of the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women and Tour of Britain Men, under significant time pressure, has given us real confidence in our operation and an appetite to take the events to the next level in the coming years. With IMG’s expertise in production, distribution, digital and beyond, we’re incredibly excited by the opportunity to take our growing portfolio of world-class events to new and bigger audiences.”