Via Atelier in Coal Drops Yard was a fitting venue for this year’s BDOVELO summer social evening. As customers exited this rather "Gucci cycling shop cum cafe", having watched the Tour de France stage 18 live on screens, the BDOVELO guests started to arrive for an evening of “Tour de France chat” with James Pope, a man who has seen the Tour close-up though the eyes of a riders’ agent. James also has an impressive career in setting up and running significant cycling events and as a result brings a wealth of knowledge of the dynamics of the sport.
Lucy Choules and Sam Boundy were in the “hot seats” and quizzed James about his experiences working with David Miller, Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas and others and as the Q&A session opened up, James provided even more insight into the world of cycling, past and present. How much does a domestique make in a year? What does Pogacar earn? Where is Cycling going? Why is women’s cycling on such an upward curve? Could Saudi money derail ASO? Is there a place for a new format of professional cycling? Why did ITV pull out of live coverage? We could undoubtedly have gone on late into the night…..
James was cornered long after the formal questions ceased and as the networking continued. Finally departing VIA, our heads spinning with ideas and speculation as to what's coming next we wondered which of James's insights might prove correct.
A big thank you to Michael Sodeau and his team at VIA for making us so welcome and providing charcuterie and cheese from the finest Italian businesses.
It was an evening to remember, and we look forward to returning in the future.
You can view a gallery of photos from the event here: https://lnkd.in/e5Jq4tyw