The Rapha Roadmap: Foreword

I have spent practically my entire adult life in professional cycling. I am someone who has watched, loved, argued with and advocated for this sport from almost every angle. And over those decades, the view has been remarkably consistent - a sport that is beautiful and historically rich but one that has been failed structurally and commercially.

What struck me most coming back to cycling after four years is not how much has changed, but how much hasn’t. When I left my role as CEO of the INEOS Grenadiers, the sport was debating reform. I returned to find the debate had gone backwards - and that is deeply depressing.

The problems identified in the Rapha Roadmap seven years ago are the same problems the UCI's own consultation letter acknowledged in February 2026 - revenues that don't reflect the sport's popularity and commercial model so dependent on external sponsorship that teams operate on the edge of financial viability. But the sport also has an ineffectual governance system that often seems to prioritise self-preservation over growth.

The questions haven't changed. But the answers haven't been implemented. And the sport can no longer afford the delay. We are living through times of extreme and rapid societal and technological change. Sports that understood this early and built a content strategy, data infrastructure and interactive communities have grown. Sports that didn't have watched their audiences age, fragment and their commercial value stagnate.

The broader lesson is simple - growth and tradition are not enemies. Formula 1 didn't abandon its heritage when it opened itself up to new audiences. The Premier League didn't stop being English football when it became a global product. The sports that have thrived in the modern era are the ones that understood their own value and adapted to grow and capitalise on it.

The growth in the popularity of women's professional sport has shown what is possible. The Women's Super League, the NWSL, the Hundred, the F1 academy and the Women’s Rugby World Cup are all examples of what can happen when the people running those sports stopped making excuses about audience size and started making the content that grows one. These sports didn't wait for permission or for someone else to solve their issues. They built the case, proved the demand and now the money is following.

We are reissuing the Rapha Roadmap because the UCI's consultation represents another opportunity for action to change this sport. We don't claim to have all the answers. What we have is an honest love for this sport and a genuine belief in its potential. And nearly two decades of experience watching it fail to realise that potential for entirely avoidable reasons.

The time for endlessly debating and re-diagnosing the problem has passed. This consultation is an opportunity for action and change. I sincerely hope the UCI use it this time.

- Fran Millar CEO, Rapha

The full compiled version of the Roadmap is now available to download.