The funds are making their move. Far from being a poor sport, this is now a sport for the rich and is destined to become increasingly so, in every latitude, in every place, in every lake.

Funds are slowly advancing, even in the major cycling circuit, in the UCI World Tour, in the most prestigious "circus" of Pogacar, Evenepoel, Van der Poel and Vigegaard, up to Roglic. Marco Bellinazzo wrote about it yesterday morning in the "Sole 24 Ore", who knows about financial matters with a sports twist like few others, let's say he's a reference signature. And he informs us of a fact that is not just news, but history: "for the first time, an investment fund, Quantum Pacific Management, led by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, has acquired a stake in a cycling team. Specifically, Quantum, which already holds stakes in several soccer teams, including 28% in Atlético Madrid, has acquired 43% of Abarca Sports, owner of Movistar, the historic Spanish team racing in the UCI World Tour, the top global road cycling circuit. Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), affiliated with Quantum, has also signed a sponsorship agreement with Abarca, founded by Eusebio Unzué and Francisco Fernández Maestre, to provide financial and logistical support to the team and the EPS logo will appear on the jerseys of male and female teams."

A private equity fund entering the world of two wheels alongside one of the most historic cycling teams essentially opens a new chapter. Saying that the financial world is buzzing is an understatement: cycling is attracting interest and this operation is not coming out of nowhere, but is the logical consequence of a path begun about two decades ago.

After all, the world of two wheels has already attracted industrial and financial giants like Red Bull, the team that here at the Giro aims for the big target like Primoz Roglic, and which entered the German Bora-Hansgrohe a year ago. But it is also true, as Bellinazzo always reminds us, that "Astana, supported by Kazakhstan and this year by the Chinese XdS, the Australian Team Jayco-AlUla backed by Saudi capital from the Royal Commission for AlUla, Bahrain Victorious, supported by the sovereign fund, or the Ineos Grenadiers relying on billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's resources" are all top-tier investors who have dramatically accelerated budget growth in recent years. "In 2025, the 18 World Tour teams - Bellinazzo adds - have allocated 570 million for their operational needs, almost 200 million more per year compared to 2021, with an average budget reaching 32 million (compared to 20 in 2021)." Staggering figures, considering these are live costs, as teams currently have no income.

And we are just at the beginning, because according to the Confindustria newspaper, "discussions are ongoing with various teams by intermediaries acting on behalf of other investment funds, many of which - like Quantum - already have "sports" stakes (especially in soccer) and are interested in acquiring even majority stakes".

The question, at this point, arises spontaneously. But if cycling teams have no revenue, if they cannot benefit from tickets, merchandising, TV rights, and so on, why are these industrial giants getting closer to our sport? Bellinazzo comes to our rescue again. "The attractive factors appear to be of two types: on one side, linked to the visibility of cycling events; on the other side, deriving from synergies activatable along the industrial chain. From the first perspective, cycling represents a unique stage. With 250 racing days per year in more than 30 countries and a widespread public along the routes, with free access to the event, it offers sponsors on team jerseys - as well as those giving their name to the team, another specificity of cycling - an unparalleled "showcase". Funds with stakes in dozens of companies are actually aiming to exploit these spaces by "personalizing" them based on the reference markets of the participating companies, thus making jerseys their media vehicle."

In short, cycling is an exceptional advertising vehicle, which many marketing managers have underestimated for too long, but at this moment it is also convenient, let's say that entering doesn't require breaking the bank. And then these funds are very attentive to cycling know-how and the industrial chains that can be created. Just think of the world's strongest team, UAE Team Emirates of the phenomenal Tadej Pogacar - belonging to the UAE sovereign fund - which decided to heavily invest in the bicycle industry by buying Colnago from the new engineer Ernesto Colnago through an Abu Dhabi fund, Chimera Investment, and the same was done by South African magnate Ivan Glasenberg who in 2023 bought Pinarello cycles and invested in the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, which races in the UCI Continental, the second international circuit.

The "Sole" also reports that among the most appetizing teams is the Team Polti Visit Malta of Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso. One of the Professional circuit teams that also uses a "hospitality services company" that in this Giro d'Italia will host over 350 people and especially a reality like Aurum that produces high-performance bikes and has reached a turnover close to 10 million euros in just four years. This team has attracted top-level sponsors with great potential in recent years like Carpisa, Yamamai, and Fineco, all companies "trying" cycling for a quality leap alongside Polti.