OPINION
PHOTO BY SILKE MAGINO
Still, one cannot ignore the bigger issue here: trust. Brands, distributors, and associations no longer trust each other to represent shared interests. Everyone says they want “unity,” but no one wants to give up control. Everyone claims to support “innovation,” but few are willing to risk the comfort of the old model. And so we end up in circular debates, with the same people sitting at different tables, making the same promises.
The risk isn’t just losing Eurobike. The risk is losing Europe’s credibility as the cultural and strategic heart of global cycling.
What Comes Next Frank Aldorf —arguably one of the strongest strategic minds in this business— summed it up perfectly when discussing this situation: “brands vote with their budgets.” Nothing could be truer today. If the industry truly wants Eurobike to evolve, then it must support it — but not uncritically. It’s a two-way street. The organisers need to show that they’re listening, that they understand the fatigue, and that they can reimagine the event as something more than a marketplace. Because what’s at stake here isn’t just a show. It’s the ability of the European cycling ecosystem to act with leadership instead of reaction. To shape the narrative rather than chase it. To create a space that unites instead of divides.
50 | December 2025
And that requires courage. Courage from Eurobike to evolve its format. Courage from brands to engage rather than withdraw. Courage from associations to stop defending territories and start building alliances. Europe Needs Leadership, Not Another Show The truth is simple: Europe doesn’t need another event. It needs direction. A clear, intentional vision of what we stand for as a community — and how we want to grow cycling not just as an industry, but as a culture. Maybe that’s Eurobike’s new mission.
Not to be the biggest, but to be the most meaningful. Not to chase “mobility” headlines, but to host the honest
conversations that shape the next decade. Not to celebrate watts, weights, or wind-tunnel data, but to ask harder questions: how do we make cycling more accessible, more sustainable, and more human? If Frankfurt can become the place where that dialogue happens, then Eurobike’s future is safe. If not, then this recent drama might just be the beginning of its slow decline.
Either way, one thing is certain: the industry has run out of
room for excuses. And the next move —the one that decides whether Europe still leads or simply follows— starts now.
www.bikebiz.com
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