'Something I don't agree with' - New AIOCC president Javier Guillén opposes paid ticketing

New AIOCC president and Vuelta a España director Javier Guillén has firmly opposed the idea of charging fans to attend road races, insisting the sport should remain accessible to all. 

"It's something I don't agree with," Guillén said in a press conference, after being elected president of the race organisers' association AIOCC for a four-year term, in quotes collected by Cyclingnews. "We are in a free sport, cycling takes place on the open roads where spectators can watch us, so one of my roles is to keep cycling in the situation it is and which it always has been."

Guillén, who succeeds Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme as AIOCC president, echoed sentiments recently expressed by ASO officials that charging spectators is "absolutely not on the current agenda."

The debate over ticketing has intensified recently, with former B&B Hotels manager Jérôme Pineau suggesting spectators should be charged to watch the Tour de France on Alpe d'Huez. Likewise, former pro Filippo Pozzato has also argued that ticketing is "the only solution we have to survive in the future." 

Meanwhile, Groupama-FDJ manager Marc Madiot strongly disagrees with paid entry, "I'm in favour of free access; we're the last major sport that's free. It's one of our strengths."

Guillén, who has headed the Vuelta since 2008, also rejected the idea that race organisers should share their current revenue with struggling teams.

"It's not about sharing what we have, it's about finding new business models to improve everybody's income," insisted Guillén. "If we share what we have, nobody's stronger, maybe all we're doing is making people weaker."

On the topic of salary caps for teams, Guillén appeared more receptive. "There's also been a debate about that. We would like to continue talking about it because it's something we have to discuss," he said. "Cycling has to keep on talking about the problems we have, so why not keep discussing it with the UCI and the teams?"

Emmanuel Hubert, CEO of the now-defunct Arkéa-B&B Hotels team, recently called for the UCI to implement salary caps after announcing the collapse of his Breton team following the withdrawal of its main sponsors and the failure to secure new partners.         

Guillén also expressed optimism that the 2026 Vuelta would avoid the protests against Israel-Premier Tech's participation that disrupted last year's race, following the team's rebranding to NSN Cycling Team.

"I think everyone knows why the rebranding was necessary," he told WielerFlits. "What we all want is peace in cycling. That's why I think this rebranding will definitely help prevent protests. I'm optimistic and don't think there will be any more such large protests in cycling next year."

The AIOCC's only other significant leadership change saw Tour de France technical director Thierry Gouvenou replace Wim Van Herreweghe as vice-president.