Avid cyclists can indulge their passion around the clock and from the comfort of their sofas with a new Sky TV channel.
Through word of mouth alone, the UK version of the Bike Channel, of Italy, attracts more than 40,000 daily viewers and will launch officially at the Soho Hotel in London tomorrow, with Mario Cipollini, a cycling legend, in attendance.
It is the first TV channel fully dedicated to cycling in the UK and offers coverage of racing, lifestyle shows including great rides of Britain, city guides, a gadget show and mountain bike adventures.
“We are not a road geek hardcore cycling channel,” Filippo Ubaldini, the founder, said. “We cater for the hardcore but also the more relaxed aspects of cycling, and want to inspire people to ride.”
Mr Ubaldini, 51, said that he chose the UK “because it is the biggest cycling market in Europe, for advertising spend and, of course, with Sky, Virgin, BT Sports, Freesat, we have between 70 and 80 million satellite viewers”.
Advertisement
Bike was established in 2012 after Mr Ubaldini left as managing director of Discovery in Italy.
“I nearly went bankrupt. I funded it out of my own pocket . . . Then Sky saw the model and they said, ‘We will support you,’ and they allowed me to be accessible to all five million subscribers in Italy, and that’s when my ratings flew.”