There are 18 World Tour teams and 21 Pro Continental teams. One difference from other sports is that cycling teams come with naming rights and usually they are named after the sponsor. But who are these sponsors and what do they do?
You might know about Garmin or Cannondale but do you know what Qhubeka, Orica or Vacansoleil are about? What’s the link between Frano Pellizotti and Hello Kitty? Why do Ag2r ride in brown shorts? All this and more…
European energy company Enovos has been a co-sponsor of the Radioshack-Nissan team, starting with Leopard-Trek last year. But it has just announced it is walking away mid-season from the cycling team, publicly dropping its connections to the team. This is very rare in cycling and sport in general.
Here’s the press release translated into English:
That’s the youtube version of the advert showing on French TV for Accor Hotels, the French hotel operator. The company is a co-sponsor of the Europcar team and they’ve linked the team with their ad campaign. Hopefully the production didn’t cost much.
The Saxo Bank team unveiled a new co-sponsor today: Tinkoff Bank. The team will now be called Saxo Bank – Tinkoff Bank, a mouthful that will be awkward to pronounce and type.
It marks the return of Oleg Tinkov to the sport. A Russian entrepreneur, he is a lively character with a past unlike almost anyone else in the sport.
What does the picture above remind you of? No, this isn’t a Rorschach test, it is a painting by British artist Chris Billington. Can you see anything that looks like a bike race?
Dutch team Project 1t4i will unveil its new sponsor and jersey later today. Here’s a sneak peak of the jersey ahead of the launch…
Yesterday the UCI put out a short press release on the apparent financial health of the pro peloton. Two statements stood out
It sounds great, money is pouring into the sport and riders wages are going up. Only the more I think about it, the more these trends are not healthy.
The Spanish economy is set to shrink this year, continuing the funk it has been in since 2009. Unemployment is over 20% and climbing. Set against it’s no wonder that several races are under threat in Spain.
Pro cycling depends on government funding and corporate budgets and across Europe times are tough. But not for all.
Professional cycling teams are ranked into three tiers. The top level is UCI Pro Team and the 18 teams here have automatic and obligatory access to the big races on the UCI’s World Tour calendar. In addition, there is a range of rules governing these teams that aim to ensure sporting and financial stability.
You’ll find the top-18 teams below, their sponsors explained plus riders and staff listed.
Aurelien Duval wins the 2012 national cyclocross championships in Quelneuc, France.
He can now wear the blue, red and white tricolore jersey of national champion for the next 12 months and I wonder if his joy is increased now that he can ditch the unmistakable jersey of his club, UV Aube? Yes, it features a lingerie model.