Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 24/05/2026Re today’s stage of the Giro d’Italia - sorry, but in perfect weather conditions, and with no other significant unexpected factors, it really should NEVER be necessary to take a section of a pre-planned finish out of the stage in the last few minutes of the race. 060
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Enjoying watching the Giro d’Italia. Inspired by the landscapes of Italy, I’ve just finished painting this mural in the courtyard of my son Jack’s delicatessen / cafe-bar, Delicio Whalley. What do you think, cycling friends? 060
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 12/04/2026Yeah, I get that tubulars are not user-friendly for a recreational rider. Personally I raced and trained on tubulars for decades. Tthese days I’m happy with clinchers and inner tubes. But, hey, I’m still using rim brakes, so I’m just a dinosaur/refusenik/ disruptor/ old fool [delete as you wish]. 😉 010
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 12/04/2026 Probably something like a cyclo-cross tubular in size but with a road-type tread. Yes, I know similar products are already available, but there will be a “new” spin on this. Maybe I will patent it. 😉 110
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 12/04/2026So, here’s my prediction / suggestion. By this time next year, at least one pro cycling team and their supplier will present a brilliant “new” wheel technology, which will essentially involve a glued-on tubular tyre with a much bigger diameter than the old type road tubulars. 120
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 12/04/2026All the Paris-Roubaix teams on the latest technology today. But, hang on. So many punctures, often with riders crashing. If only there was some sort of tyre system with a tube inside, and a strong cotton outer, stitched into a tube shape then stuck on to a rim with special glue… 141
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 06/04/2026My sincere condolences to his wife Lady Rosemary and the rest of his family. 000
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 06/04/2026Sorry to hear of the passing of Sir Craig Reedie, the greatest British sports administrator ever, in my opinion. An absolute gentleman, with the highest levels of integrity and honesty. Rest in peace my friend, it was an honour to have known you.theguardian.comSir Craig Reedie, key London 2012 Olympics figure and former BOA chair, dies aged 84Sir Craig Reedie, a giant of the Olympic movement, who served as chair of the British Olympic Association for more than a decade and was instrumental in bringing the Games to London in 2012, has died ... 121
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 09/09/2025Thank you for thinking of me, Feargal. Have a nice day. 100
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 05/07/2025Why, yes, Rupert. Yes, I am. And I’m very cross about it. Very. 120
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 05/07/2025Thank you for letting me know, Feargal. I will try harder in future to comply with your social media rulings. Or maybe I won’t. Depends how I feel, really. 000
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 05/07/2025Hang on @tntsports you’re promising we won’t miss a minute of live coverage of @LeTour but now you’re treating us to repetitive ad breaks every few minutes, after previously providing ad-free streaming to subscribers. Maybe change your name to @pricegougingexperts? 3142
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 04/07/2025Why on earth would Netflix release the latest series of their Tour de France Unchained, based on the 2024 race, a couple of days before the 2025 race starts? Literally a spoiler. 230
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 02/06/2025Excellent coverage of Simon Yates’ win in the Giro d’Italia. 050
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 31/05/2025Chapeau indeed regarding @giroditalia - but the tactics of UAE and EF were bizarre. Isn’t the point of a Mexican stand-off that someone does eventually pull a gun and shoot in the end? 110
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 29/05/2025Please will someone ask Cycling Up To Date website to stop sending out notifications that are spoilers, even when you’re watching with a few minutes delay. 000
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 22/05/2025Tree of the Day? Maybe. Goat of the Day? Definitely. Photo taken at Pollença, Mallorca today. 071
Reposted by Brian CooksonSteve Maxwell @rstevenmaxwell.bsky.social · 29/04/2025New AIRmail pro cycling newsletter out today …. theouterline.substack.com/p/pogacar-cont… …. Pogacar continues his dominant run; “The Athletic” weighs in on cycling’s future; Uno-X’s clever use of jerseys; Women’s cycling is more exciting these days; Cycling TV is still stuck in the past ….theouterline.substack.com 001
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 22/04/2025There you go, I’ve given you an idea for your next column. 110
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 22/04/2025I never cease to be amazed by the people who discover cycle racing, fall in love with its unique nature, its heritage, its history, its complexity and its unpredictability, then decide it should be changed to be more like other sports. It shouldn't. It isn't like other sports. Stop this nonsense. 2403
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 12/04/2025Something special, you say? Maybe like winning the first Women’s Paris - Roubaix, after attacking at the start of the first cobbled sector then riding solo to the finish? 010
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 04/04/2025I'm supporting this petition, and I've also emailed Ofcom Chair Lord Grade about the issue of the apparent broadcasting monopoly position of WBD/Discovery regarding cycling and other sports in the UK. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...petition.parliament.ukPetition: Make the Tour de France a Category A event so it is free-to-airMake the Tour de France a Category A event to ensure it remains free-to-air in the UK. 040
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 10/03/2025It's exactly ten years ago since @UCI_cycling published the report of the Cycling Independent Reform Commission. Not everyone was happy with all of it, but I believe it significantly helped change the sport for better. Here's a link to the report. www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/wp-content/u...sportsintegrityinitiative.com 020
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025Of course this is not a true story, but I don't see how this is in any way different from what WBD / TNT have done. 150
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 07/03/2025I heard one of the executives of @WBDsports was out shopping the other day. Went in to a department store, took a t-shirt and a pair of jeans to the till, but the assistant said "Yes, sir, fine, but you'll also have to buy an Armani suit as well. That's company policy"..... 230
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 23/02/2025Great to see a full house at the @BritishCycling National Track Championships at @N_CyclingCentre aka Manchester Velodrome last night. 150
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 17/02/2025To sum him up - the bike rider’s bike rider. Chapeau, G, and good luck with the rest of your final season and everything you do in future! 070
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 17/02/2025 But to achieve what he has achieved over his long career has taken incredible qualities of hard work, dedication, commitment and strength of personality. And all of this combined with being such a nice guy, reliable and approachable, has made him a unique figure in our sport. To sum him up...2/3 150
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 17/02/2025For me, Geraint Thomas represents all the best things about the golden era of British Cycling. A talented athlete spotted at an early age and given all the right support at every stage of his career, certainly. But...1/3 160
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 13/02/2025Looking forward to the BBC investigation into how many other people’s CVs on LinkedIn have been, er, updated today. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukQuestions raised over Rachel Reeves’s CV and expenses after BBC investigationThe BBC has established the Chancellor left the Bank of England nine months earlier than she states in her LinkedIn profile. 020
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 11/02/2025Are my Trees of the Day safe from this? 🤷🏻♂️ 100
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 10/02/2025If you’re upset about WBD's decision to scrap Eurosport in the UK and Ireland, and incorporate cycling and several other sports into TNT channels, it’s quite a simple matter to make a complaint to the Competition and Markets Authority here; www.gov.uk/government/o...gov.ukCompetition and Markets AuthorityWe help people, businesses and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. CMA is a non-ministerial department. 041
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Ah, understood. Glad you liked the piece. I have some views about LinkedIn too, maybe I'll do an op-ed on that, but probably not on a cycling website! 000
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Just curious, is it me, LinkedIn, or analogies that you don't like? 000
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 05/02/2025Following controversy over WBD's decision to scrap Eurosport in the UK and Ireland, and incorporate cycling and several other sports into TNT channels, at a 400% price increase, I wrote an op-ed piece for the Escape Collective. You can read it here;escapecollective.comBrian Cookson: Why isn’t buying cycling TV coverage just like buying beans? - Escape CollectiveThe former UCI President gives his thoughts on WBD's recent price hike. 031
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 02/02/2025This is worth a listen if you are interested in understanding how cycling came to be dominated by the Tour de France and its owner ASO. open.spotify.com/episode/4TEm...open.spotify.comHow the ASO aquired the Tour de FranceOvernight Success · Episode 050
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 01/02/2025….. whilst hiking up the price for this combination by a ridiculous amount, well, I think we understand it very well indeed. And we don’t like it. 100
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 01/02/2025I think the many people who are objecting to this move by WBD to scrap Eurosport in the UK and Ireland, to package its coverage of sports like cycling in with sports we don’t wish to watch…… 100
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 01/02/2025Can you imagine any retailer of any other product getting away with that? Can you imagine that company and people in that industry telling the people who objected that they just didn’t understand that industry? 100
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 01/02/2025Now I find that in future I am only going to be able to buy these beans from one particular supermarket, and I will have to buy several other brands of beans and canned vegetables that I don’t like and don’t ever eat. 100
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 01/02/2025I like a particular brand of baked beans, which I can buy at a number of different supermarkets at a reasonable price. I don’t like any other beans or any other sort of canned vegetables. 110
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 01/02/2025I’ve been thinking more about the WBD decision to incorporate Eurosport and Discovery+ coverage of sports including cycling, in the UK and Ireland, into new TNT channels, with a massive price increase. Here’s an alternative way to look at this. 🧵 142
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 28/01/2025A little question for WBD - how much of the increased fees you will draw from cycling will go to paying the event organisers for the rights to broadcast those events? Just a percentage figure of the increase will do. Thanks in advance. 120
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 28/01/2025Interesting bit of history. Back in 1999 when Channel 4 dropped their coverage of the Tour in favour of cricket, Dave Brailsford and I went to London to meet their Head of Sports. We explained the negative impact it would have on the development of cycling in GB. It made no difference. 🤷🏻♂️ 200
Brian Cookson @briancookson.bsky.social · 28/01/2025I invite any of the employees of WBD/Eurosport/Discovery+ to come here on Bluesky to explain how this really is a good thing. 4173