Dan Lloyd departs Eurosport as part of knock-on changes to ‘GCN’

Dan Lloyd, the former pro rider turned cycling commentator, will no longer be part of Eurosport’s cycling commentary and analysis team. He has confirmed his departure – which is linked to the ongoing changes at GCN – just days before the Tour de France is due to start.

While many hardcore cycling fans – of a certain vintage – will remember Lloyd from his racing days, including competing with the An Post-Sean Kelly team, most were first introduced to him as a presenter on the GCN YouTube channel.

From there he then became a very regular feature on Eurosport’s TV cycling coverage, performing commentary and acting as a pundit and analyst during major races such as the Grand Tours and the classics.

However, following on from the closure of live streamer GCN+ last year, GCN was recently sold by Warner Bros Discovery to its founder, Simon Wear, and chief executive Mia Walter.

A majority stake in Play Sports Network, the company behind the GCN YouTube channel and globalcyclingnetwork.com cycling news site, was sold back to Wear and Walter earlier this month.

Play Sports Network said at the time it would “continue to operate its cycling brands delivering digital content across YouTube, its websites and other social platforms”.

Since then, the globalcyclingnetwork.com site has disappeared and anyone who tries to get onto the site is being redirected to the GCN YouTube channel. The journalists who worked on the site, and some others who worked at Play Sports Network, have since lost their jobs.

Lloyd said that his departure from Eurosport’s commentary team arises as a result of the continuing changes, though added “GCN’s journey with Eurosport and live racing is something I’ll never forget”.

“However, it’s been a tough eight months or so for GCN – the shuttering of GCN+, and now the website, has meant we’ve lost a lot of very talented, hard working colleagues who are incredibly passionate about the sport,” Lloyd said on Twitter.

“GCN is still full of amazing people, and more importantly, supported by an incredible community of cyclists. I firmly believe that the next part of our journey will be more exciting than ever – I want to be part of, and instrumental in that next adventure, the next chapter.

“Unfortunately, that means I will no longer be on The Breakaway or Eurosport’s cycling commentary. It’s a part of my job that I will dearly miss, but more than that, I will miss the fantastic group of people.”