Tour de France, Giro and Vuelta? For German sports fans, these bike races only generate a limited amount of enthusiasm. Cycling enthusiasm is significantly greater in the home countries of the “Grand Tours” and in the Netherlands.
Dutch people don’t just often cycle privately, there is also a keen interest in cycling in our neighboring country. According to the Statista Global Consumer Survey, around 29 percent of Dutch sports fans actively follow the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia or the Vuelta a España.
There are a similar number of cycling enthusiasts in the three countries of the “Grand Tours”. Around a quarter of respondents in Italy, France and Spain said they were fans of the famous stage races.
In Germany, enthusiasm for cycling is low
In the German-speaking regions, the cycling bubble is less pronounced. In Germany and Switzerland, only about 16 percent of the survey participants are enthusiastic about cycling – in Austria, however, it is only 12 percent.
The fact that two-wheeler races are no longer suitable for the masses in this country, despite former icons like Jan Ullrich, is mainly due to the doping scandals of the past few years. The distortion of competition through the use of unfair means has led to more and more sponsors and television stations withdrawing from the sport. Many fans have also turned away from cycling in disappointment. Talents such as track cycling Olympic champion and world champion Mieke Kröger breathe new life into the sport and also inspire younger audiences.
