New cycling league aiming to resonate with audiences

In the fluorescent glow of a repurposed indoor go-kart track, cyclists hurtle around hairpin corners, their fixed-gear bikes offering a stark binary choice — perfect execution or intimate acquaintance with the barriers.

- 

LOS ANGELES — In the fluorescent glow of a repurposed indoor go-kart track, cyclists hurtle around hairpin corners, their fixed-gear bikes offering a stark binary choice — perfect execution or intimate acquaintance with the barriers.

Welcome to the world of Formula Fixed, a new adrenaline-fuelled cycling format the organisers believe can finally give the two-wheeled sport the street cred it lacks in the United States.

“There are no real professional leagues that have cohesive storytelling and that’s a shame, it’s frustrating. So we’re setting out to fix that,” James Grady, co-founder of the venture with wife Clare, told Reuters.

“Ninety-four per cent of people in the States know how to ride a bike, but the sport’s ability to convert that familiarity into fandom is fundamentally broken.”

Formula Fixed, which will launch its inaugural Pro Series later in 2025, is cycling stripped back to the raw.