ABSTRACT
Professional cycling is one of the oldest professional sports. It is hugely popular in some core European countries and gaining momentum in various countries all over the world. Yet, the sport is understudied in comparison to other sports like soccer or basketball. Road cycling, an outdoor sport that takes place on public ground, is an individual sport practiced in teams. This implies that while cycling races serve as team events, it is the individual performances and titles that are most important in the end. Contrary to other sports, the world calendar of races consists of a non-homogeneous set of one-day events and stage cycling events (Rebeggiani & Tondani, 2008). Even within both categories of events, some races are considered to be more important than others in terms of historical significance, number of spectators, and media exposure (Lagae, 2005). The Tour de France is more important than its Italian and Spanish counterparts, namely the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. Also, within one-day races a similar heterogeneity is detected between “historic classics” such as the Tour of Flanders and smaller regional races.
