The Velon group of leading WorldTour teams and their partner Infront have launched the first edition of what they have dubbed the Hammer Series, a new format for professional racing that focuses on team success in three different disciplines of road racing.
The first Hammer Series race will be held in the Limburg region of the Netherlands in the Limburg Sportzone complex, between June 1-4, with Velon and Infront confirming that all the Velon teams and other major teams from the WorldTour and Professional Continental level will take part. Velon hopes to develop the series over time, with three or four races set for 2018 and even more in the long term.
The Hammer Series will be part of a weekend of cycling events, with a bike expo, mass-participation ride, family events and even concerts, with organisers hoping to creating a festival type atmosphere.
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Velon is private business venture owned and controlled by 10 of the 18 current WorldTour teams including Team Sky, BMC, Quick-Step Floors, Trek-Segafredo and Bahrain-Merida. Velon agreed a ten-year partnership with Infront Sports & Media last year and has worked to create on-board video footage and negotiate participation fees for team in certain races.
Last year Infront bought the Ironman triathlon business and invested in cycling by buying the endurance-sports division of Paris-based Lagardère Sports – which owns the Hamburg Cyclassics race and a series of sportive events.
Infront’s parent company Dalian Wanda Group of China was rumoured to have made an attempt to buy Tour de France last year and agreed a deal with the UCI to create the new WorldTour Tour of Guangxi race, and fund other UCI initiatives and events.
The first Hammer Series race in Limburg is only a week before the start of the Criterium du Dauphine organised by ASO but Velon hopes to attract many of the overall contenders who competed in the Giro d’Italia. Tom Dumoulin confirmed he would lead Team Sunweb on his home roads.
A team-based format of three circuit races
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