Veron, the business group representing the majority of the World Tour, announced the launch of an online platform dubbed Roadcode, "cycling's first fan universe."

The platform was created in collaboration with 10 Véron teams, including Ineos Grenadiers, Bora Hanglohe, Sudar Quickstep, UAE Team Emirates, and Jumbo Visma, and more traditional and focused social media channels It is proposed as an alternative to.

Loadcode is built on the Hedera public network and, translating the technical terms, appears to be a cryptocurrency/blockchain-related venture.

According to a press release issued by Velon, the "next generation platform" will not only include Velon's usual on-bike footage and live data familiar to cycling fans, but also a new ranking system and, yes, "digital collectibles and team access tokens.

There will also be a fantasy cycling game based on the new ranking system, with prizes offered throughout the year, as well as "premium features" including the aforementioned digital collectibles. It is unclear exactly what access the "team access tokens" will provide.

The new ranking system will be based on head-to-head results, rather than a per-result point distribution like the UCI's rider, team, and country rankings.

"This approach allows us to recognize the strength of our opponents as well as the results of our events," said Veron, adding that Strava-like features will be available in the future.

"Eventually, amateur riders will be able to directly compare their hard-earned performances with the best riders in the sport, providing valuable insight and motivation for continuous improvement.

In addition to the teams mentioned above, the five teams that make up Véron, EF Education Easypost, Intermarche Circus Wanty, Team DSM, Trek Segafredo, and Lot Dostony, are also participating in this project.

"The community of road cycling fans is great, and I hope they will be very happy with the new place Roadcode is providing to enjoy racing," said Bora-Hansgrohe sprinter Sam Bennett.

"I'm very excited to be a part of this," said Beulah-Hansgrohe sprinter Sam Bennett.

Team DSM climber Romain Bardet added, "It's cool that fans can contribute and gain access to exclusive assets, prizes, and offers just by participating in Road Code."

The Road Code, which will be launched at the start of the upcoming 2023 season, appears to be a new attempt by the Veron Collective to generate more revenue beyond the traditional commercial avenues available to teams.

Previous attempts to disrupt the sport's business model include the Hammer Series races, which appear to be no longer being held after 2019, and the continued use of live data and on-bike video.

Both are the subject of Commission antitrust complaints filed by Veron against the UCI, the latter alleging that in 2019 the UCI "attempted to enforce existing regulations and introduce new ones designed to favor the UCI's business interests to the detriment of the teams They claim that "the UCI attempted to do so.

The Road Code is far from the first venture into the hazy world of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs by the cycling community. Blockchain-based cryptocurrency company NextHash co-sponsored the Qhubeka team in 2021, but the team collapsed a few months later due to lack of sponsorship.

Last year, Colnago sold its flagship bike, the C64 NFT, in an online auction for about £5,000; the NFT is now worth about £3,200 and £12,700.

In 2020, Peter Sagan denied involvement in a cryptocurrency scam after a website falsely claimed the Slovenian appeared on TV to endorse a particular crypto platform.

Elsewhere, Outside, which owns cycling publications Velonews, PinkBike, Peloton, and CyclingTips, operates an "outdoors-focused" NFT marketplace and is about to launch its own cryptocoin.