Press release - The Women Peloton must change its name.

'I just couldn’t understand the fact that the word ‘peloton’ could be monopolized by an American company. It doesn’t sit right with me.'

According to the Van Dale dictionary, a peloton is defined as ‘a group of cyclists riding together’. But of course, the world of cycling in Flanders does not need a dictionary to know that. Nevertheless, in the next three months, The Women Peloton (the largest female cycling community in Belgium - founded by Elke Bleyaert) will no longer be allowed to use this name. The reason for this? The brand name contains the word "Peloton", a fact which has been legally challenged by an American fitness equipment company. Since its founding in 2021, The Women Peloton has had to defend itself in various legal proceedings against this organisation. But unfortunately, the story ends with a loss on appeal. Although a peloton in cycling-loving Belgium is known as a group of cyclists riding together, for Peloton Interactive it is an infringement of their brand name…

Peloton Interactive is a publicly trading American fitness equipment and media company based in New York City. They offer exercise bikes, treadmills and indoor rowers that stream live and on-demand fitness classes through a subscription service. They service a ‘peloton’ of online, remote athletes. They are mainly active in the US, Germany and Spain. Even though they are not even active in the Benelux region, Peloton Interactive was convinced that there would be a risk of confusion between them and The Women Peloton.

It started in 2021 with an opposition to The Women Peloton's trademark filing. This was followed by summary proceedings against the founders of The Women Peloton in Germany, and a summons before the Brussels corporate court. The company court ruled that there was no confusion between The Women Peloton and the brands of the American fitness giant. But Peloton Interactive appealed and was successful at the end of April 2024. The verdict is harsh: the use of 'The Women Peloton' is banned - for cycling lessons, cycling instructions and cycling training, among other things. The Women Peloton can file an appeal in cassation, but that will take a long time and has no suspensive effect. In the meantime, The Women Peloton must change its name within three months or pay a penalty of EUR 500 per day.

The financial impact on my business, The Women Peloton, have been significant. Legal fees have been high for the past few years, and now Peloton Inc.'s fee and the cost of a complete rebranding are on top of that

No small and young start-up can withstand such an attack. Because Peloton Interactive did everything it could to make the procedure as complex as possible, attorneys' fees quickly mounted. This has prevented Elke's company from growing to what she had foreseen in recent years.

Why not just change your name? That could have been an option. But Elke could not believe that the word 'peloton' could be monopolized in the cycling world. And to add insult to injury, that it could be monopolized by a company that has very little to do with a peloton as we know it in Flanders, a company that is virtually unknown in the Benelux and by extension Europe.

I wanted to go to court not only for myself, but also for all other companies with a passion for cycling. There are so many companies in the cycling landscape who use the word ‘peloton’ and coexist peacefully. Why would one company have the unique right to own it?
But one thing is for sure, my female cycling community is too valuable to just give up! And so I will continue to commit and work hard to get out of this situation.

Sadly, this will no longer be under the name of The Women Peloton... So, what name will The Women Peloton continue under? That we don’t know yet. Elke particularly wants to involve her loyal community and continue to build a sustainable future for her company together with them!

More information about The Women Peloton:

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The Women Peloton was founded in 2021 by Elke Bleyaert, the wife of professional cyclist Jasper Stuyven (who also regularly cycles in a peloton). Elke felt that too little attention was paid to female recreational cyclists and therefore saw the need to do something about this. She quit her job as a recruiter and took a leap into the (for her) unknown entrepreneurial world. Elke initially wanted to set up an online platform (amid the corona crisis) that focused on more specific knowledge for women on bicycles. She is convinced that a woman who gets to know and support herself, her body and the bicycle better will also have more fun on the bike and feel stronger. Elke surrounded herself with a team of experts in their field and focused on all possible aspects related to being a woman and cycling: (sports) nutrition, bicycle and equipment, training, mental health, the female body, etc... For example, The Women Peloton offers memberships in which all of this important information is provided through videos, webinars, lesson series, work outs. Through The Women Peloton Podcast, Elke talks to women (and experts) who have recognizable and inspiring cycling stories. This self-produced podcast has 61 episodes, 1,900 Spotify fans and almost 90,000 plays everywhere. In addition, The Women Peloton also offers cycling holidays and has created tours to encourage women to cycle together, in a peloton. In this way, Elke and her team try to lower the entry barriers for women into cycling, and ensure that every woman can fully enjoy cycling in her own way. This community has already grown to around 2,000 members. Every (s)mile counts!

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Credits to Imogen Cotter for translating our press release.