Zug, Switzerland – Infront, a Wanda Sports Group company, will partner with cycling’s Flanders Classics – including its prestigious Tour of Flanders – and Amstel Gold Race in an exclusive global partnership from 2021.
The strategic collaboration will see Flanders Classics, Amstel Gold Race and Infront join forces to enhance the value of the one-day races and further develop other areas of cycling.
The eight-year agreement incorporates the exclusive international media rights for the Flanders Classics in 2021. The European media rights of the Tour of Flanders will also be included from 2022. As for the Amstel Gold Race the agreement for the international media rights will run for a 6-year period from 2021 until 2026.
Flanders Classics’ spring classics take place across Belgium’s Flanders region and alongside the Tour of Flanders include the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars Door Vlaanderen, Scheldeprijs Schoten, Brabantse Pijl and Brussels Cycling Classic. The Amstel Gold Race is held yearly in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.
Philippe Blatter, Infront President & CEO said: “Infront has a growing ambition to diversify its summer sports portfolio, specifically cycling, and we are delighted to begin this partnership with Flanders Classics and Amstel Gold Race. We are privileged to begin working with such an iconic event and it highlights our commitment to creating a new benchmark in the management of one-day races. This latest project marks the first step in what we believe will be a fruitful collaboration.”
Wouter Vandenhaute, President, Flanders Classics: “Our spring classics hold a truly global appeal through a series of races steeped in tradition. The events remain popular with cycling fans and athletes and we look forward to working with Infront to further develop its appeal both within Europe and globally both through this new media rights agreement and a potentially broader scope in the future.”
Leo van Vliet, director of Amstel Gold Race said: "Amstel Gold Race is considered one of the major cycling events globally. We are very glad having joined forces with Flanders Classics for this collaboration with Infront. We share the same goals and vision on how to further develop our races on a worldwide basis and look forward to develop these ideas with Infront."
Infront’s cycling portfolio currently includes the exclusive media and marketing rights to Switzerland’s Tour de Suisse as part of Cycling Unlimited and the Deloitte Ride Across Britain through its group company Threshold Sports. Infront’s parent company Wanda is also involved in the sport through their partnership with China’s Tour of Guangxi.