Conference Agenda

This paper analyses the influence of Europeanisation on cycling schemes and infrastructure in the Republic of Ireland. The Europeanisation of national level policies has received much attention in recent decades, with a range of top-down and bottom-up drivers identified. While its influence is most keenly observed in discussions of European Union integration (and disintegration), it reflects and interacts with wider processes of internationalisation in Europe.

As a policy object, cycling sits at the nexus of public health, transport, and environment policies. It has come to be framed as a public good both as a means of commuting and as a leisure activity. The European Union has been active in this area, incentivising member states to establish public cycling schemes and to extend cycling infrastructure. The Republic of Ireland presents as a dynamic case in which to study same. With cycling commute rates relatively low by European comparison, it has introduced cycle-to-work, bike-share, and dedicated cycle lane schemes in the past 15 years. This paper examines how Europeanisation has impacted policymaking (problem definition, objective setting, decision-process, and outcome evaluation) in such schemes. Primary research with legislative, executive, and civic society actors explores the role of funding, networks, impact assessments, and platforms on their legislation and implementation. Results contribute to our understanding of how Europeanisation as a process, and the European Union as an actor, is perceived by local level actors. Simultaneously, they provide insight of how cycling, as a policy object, is framed by such actors.

Professional cycling has undergone various efforts in the past 20 years to become more international from its European roots. However, it remains a profoundly - possibly even essentially - European endeavour, in part because of strong logics of Europeanisation within the sport. This paper offers a conceptualisation of those logics, whereby riders, teams, races and the broader imaginarium of popular discourse all experience and contribute to the reinforcement of the centrality of Europe. As well as assimilating non-European elements into the sport, it also problematises the internationalisation discourse, raising longer-term questions about the viability of an already precarious business model. The work is illustrated with the case of professional mountain biking, a sub-discipline that originated in the US in the 1980s, but which has become increasingly European since, significant US commercial interests notwithstanding. The paper offers a contribution to analysis of European soft power and and a reflection on Europe's place within a dynamic international order where sporting, economic and political logics are increasingly intermingled.

The proposed paper examines the strategic use of the 2018 Giro d’Italia cycling race, which began in Israel (the first grand tour to start outside Europe), as a tool of sports diplomacy orchestrated by Canadian-Jewish philanthropist Silvan Adams. It argues that the event functioned not only as a high-profile sporting competition but also as a geopolitical maneuver aimed at enhancing Israel's international standing, particularly within Europe. The Giro sought to elevate Israel's global visibility, projecting an image of the country that transcended traditional political narratives.

Focusing on the role of non-state actors in organizing this sports mega-event, the paper highlights the influence of Adams in promoting the race. This underscores the growing importance of diaspora communities and private philanthropy in shaping political dynamics through sport, raising questions about the role of non-traditional actors in sports diplomacy.

In the context of European Studies, this paper explores how such mega-events, hosted outside the traditional European heartland, challenge and reshape the cultural and political boundaries of European identity. By situating the 2018 Giro d’Italia within the broader framework of sports diplomacy, the paper contributes to our understanding of cycling as a European cultural element used as a strategic tool for international relations. In particular, it highlights the dissemination/ adoption of European sport to non-European countries, illustrating the intersection of culture, politics, and sport in shaping contemporary geopolitical relations.

Partly driven by economic reasons, the cycling world’s governing body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has been a champion of the globalisation of the sport since the 1990s. Globalisation in this context refers to the aim to make professional competitive road cycling (referred to as pro cycling in the rest of this article) a global sport that is practiced and watched across on all continents. From La Tropicale Amissa Bongo to the UAE Tour Women, today men and women pro cycling teams from across the world compete across the world from early January to well into October. This year’s first WorldTour – racing’s top tier – women’s and men’s races started with the Tour Down Under in January and will conclude with the Tour of Guangxi in October.

Yet, the annual cycling calendar still revolves around the so-called Monuments and the 'Grand Tours', which all take place in Europe. What’s more, of the 97 editions of the UCI Cycling Road World Championships, only nine took place outside of Europe. The first time the Worlds took place outside of Europe was in 1977, in Sam Cristóbal in Venezuela. Yet, road cycling is big in countries across the world, from Africa to South America. In fact, if you are not a cycling enthusiast, you are excused for not knowing that the 2025 UCI Road World Championships will take place in Rwanda. If you are a cycling enthusiast, you must have seen coverage of the massive crowds cheering on pro cyclists on the Wall of Kigali during the annual Tour of Rwanda.

This paper investigates how some of Europe’s main pro cycling news sites have reported about the globalisation of pro cycling during the last decade, with a specific focus on news about the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond-USA (2015), Doha-Qatar (2016), Wollongong-Australia (2022) and Kigali-Rwanda (2025). Media play an important role in how sports are represented in society, the triangular relationship between sports, media and sponsorship, being of particular importance to pro cycling due to its business model. This paper asks how dedicated websites covered these editions of the UCI Road World Championships and, in particular, looks at how the globalisation of the sport represented and discussed. Given pro cycling’s historical links with Europe, I expect to find that the globalisation of pro cycling is critically discussed.