Dennis to launch cycling mag against IPC and Future

Cyclist will go on sale on 19 September priced £5 and with a print run of 50,000.

Dennis claims that research has shown that in addition to the huge growth in cycling, there has been a change in attitudes especially in the road cycling sector. The launch comes soon after the Tour de France was won by a Briton, Bradley Wiggins, for the first time.

It will go up against titles including Future Publishing’s Cycling Plus and IPC Media's Cycling Active.

Figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), show Cycling Plus had an average issue circulation of 45,009 copies during July to December 2011, while Cycling Active had a circulation of 22,078 copies.

Future also recently released another cycling magazine exclusively for tablet, Cycling News, in May. 

Dennis claims that the launch of Cyclist will be supported by a marketing campaign, valued at more than £500,000.

This will include multi-platform support across the portfolio, targeted advertising and sampling opportunities, and significant promotion at key retail outlets.

Publishing director James Burnay said: "The cycling market is the perfect next step for our growing fitness portfolio. Dennis has a history of producing excellent editorial brands and we are a leading UK publisher in digital formats.

"Cyclist will be launching with a 50,000 print run and we have already secured listings in all of the major retailers including the iTunes store. With Dennis's half a million subscribers in the target demographic, we are confident we can build a high-quality audience for our advertisers, very quickly indeed."

Pete Muir, editor of Cyclist, edited Men's Fitness for eight years.

In 2010, he was made editorial director of Dennis's Fitness Division and has been nominated as Editor of the Year at the BSME (British Society of Magazine editors).

Muir said, "The look and feel of the magazine will be premium, with stylish design and stunning imagery from the best photographers in the market. The magazine will be like a cyclist's perfect partner – intelligent, good-looking and passionate about road cycling.

Muir has recruited an editorial team that includes deputy editor Stu Bowers, one of the U's most respected tech writers and bike testers, who joins from Cycling Weekly.

As part of the development process, the project has been aided by John Stevenson, formerly editor-in-chief across Future Publishing's cycling portfolio, and Ash Gibson, former creative director of GQ and Men's Health.

 

Follow @nickbatten2

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk