The popularity of road cycling in Slovenia and its impact on cycling organizations

Magistrsko delo je namenjeno tako sferi profesionalnega kot rekreativnega cestnega kolesarstva. Cilj je bil ugotoviti priljubljenost kolesarstva in njegov vpliv na različne kolesarske organizacije v Sloveniji. Izvedli smo šest polstrukturiranih intervjujev z deležniki, ki delujejo na različnih ravneh v kolesarstvu. Intervjuvanci so bili predstavnik strokovnega sveta KZS, profesionalni cestni kolesar, športni novinar, trener in vodja mladinske ekipe, selektor mladinske reprezentance in športni direktor mednarodne profesionalne ekipe. Na podlagi analize njihovih odgovorov in obstoječe literature smo ugotovili, da deležniki opažajo porast priljubljenosti kolesarstva v Sloveniji. Vzroke pripisujejo kolesarskim rekreativnim prireditvam, pretekli pandemiji COVID-19 in uspehom slovenskih profesionalnih kolesarjev. Priljubljenost kolesarstva dojemajo kot pozitivno, še zlasti z vidika lažjega pridobivanja sponzorjev in zagotavljanja finančnih sredstev. Na samo vsebino in organizacijo njihovega dela priljubljenost tega športa nima pomembnega vpliva, prinesla je le višje število aktivnih mladih kolesarjev, ki šele vstopajo v svet profesionalizma. This master thesis is dedicated to the field of professional and recreational racing cycling. The aim was to determine the popularity of cycling and its impact on various cycling organizations in Slovenia. We conducted six semi-structured interviews with stakeholders involved in cycling at different levels. The interviewees included a member of the Slovenian Cycling Federation, a professional road cyclist, a sports journalist, a coach and youth team manager, a youth national team selection coach, and a sports director of a professional international cycling team. Based on the analysis of their responses and existing literature, we found that the stakeholders observed an increase in the popularity of cycling in Slovenia. They attribute this to recreational cycling events, the past COVID -19 pandemic, and the successes of Slovenian professional cyclists. The popularity of cycling is perceived as positive, especially in terms of making it easier to attract sponsors and secure financial resources. It does not significantly impact the content and organization of their work, but it has led to a higher number of active young cyclists just entering the professional world.