Sponsored Cycle Racing Teams and Poaching

Sponsored Teams

It's that time of the year when folks are putting together their cycle racing teams for next year. At professional level we hear about it in the cycling press, and it probably sounds quite exciting to know who the Schlek brothers or Bradley Wiggins will be riding for.

At local level just as much machinations go on as well.

I guess the difference is that the team may just be "sponsored" by Joe's Energy drink which offers riders the chance to pay £30 a year, spend oodles on their snazzy kit for the sake of riding as part of a competitive team where you get told where you should race, how you should race (more often than not, for someone else), and any prize money you happen to win doesn't go to you but to "the team coffers." Oh and you will have to do national level races which are ages away from home but you just make your own way there, and you will have to stay in the chosen "team hotel" which will end up quite expensive as that's the only one which will accommodate all the riders, Directeur Sportives, sponsor representatives, with Uncle Tom Cobley and all! But hey, none of that's a problem. You're in a sponsored team wearing kit that makes you look like you're a somebody in the cycle racing world, so why should you complain? After all, as part of the deal you get free inner tubes and 10% off labour when you bring your bike to their shop that's 50 miles away!

Yes, local sponsored teams are not always what they're cracked up to be. There are a number of ordinary cycling clubs that offer more!

So, my clubmate Deborah has been approached by one such "sponsored team", Gels Incorporated. She is quite new to racing and had quite a promising first season in 2010. Naturally, she is thrilled and flattered to have been approached by this lot, and is considering leaving our club.

As women's captain in the club I would be sorry to see her go, but I am not one of these people who gets all possessive about riders. I like to look to the future and I feel confident that our club will have other good riders coming up through the ranks. It has to be said though, that Deborah is a strong, keen rider and an all-round nice woman. I was looking forward to racing with her next year.



Poaching

A few things are bugging me about Deborah being approached by the sponsored team:

I find the guy who is running Gels Inc, Jake, a little dodgy and not altogether honest to me. I got to know of him last year when he expressed a wish to organise a women's cycle race at Hillingdon on the same day as the Smithfield Nocturne - a London Women's League event, and a big day on the racing calendar. British Cycling pointed this clash out to him, but he still went ahead and organised the race.

Some time afterwards he told me about how he was disppointed at the low turn-out of women at his race. He omitted to say that he organised the race on the same day as one of the biggest cycle racing events in London, and preferred to make it sound like women just couldn't be bothered to turn out.

When he told me he was forming a women's team he said that it was disappointing how no women had come forward to join his team. But yet, as someone who reads the cycling press I have not seen a single press release or advert appealing for women riders to join their team.

He has described the team that he was forming as a "feeder" team for the professional Horizon Fitness women's team - the number one UK team. My understanding is that Horizon recruit women from everywhere, not from any specific team. Technically, all racing teams are feeder teams to Horizon Fitness!

Finally, Jake said that his team would be composed of women who race but find themselves to be the sole racer in their club. Deborah is one of seven women who do road racing in my club. We have raced the team series and the London Women's Cycle Racing league. Although we didn't threaten the top riders we have still had a presence and by no means can Deborah be described as the sole rider.

What I also find galling is the fact that Jake spent time discussing with me his intentions and then goes on to poach a rider from my own club where I am the women's captain!!

I don't want to sound precious about my clubmates being approached, but I do think that this behaviour is described as sly to say the least!

Which brings me on to him approaching Deborah.

Deborah is new to racing and probably doesn't really know what constitutes a good or a not-so-good sponsorship deal. I guess if anyone walks up to her and says words like "racing team", "sponsor", "team training session" and/or "team tactics" in the same sentence cycle racing suddenly sounds sexier, and new riders who don't know everything that's out there can be easily tempted away.

It seems like that's what Jake has done.

When I asked him what sponsorship deal they offer their riders, what he described didn't sound like a very good deal. It was very much like what I've described above, though of course he gave it more positive packaging!
The other thing which I don't think is particularly good is that he said that he would expect one of the riders in Gels Inc to be a team manager, deputizing to him. He would be out and about with sponsors so would be too busy to be getting on with the day-to-day running of the team. He would therefore like one of the maturer more experienced members of the team to double up in the role as sponsored racer and team manager! And you still have to pay your way to do all this!

I note that some of the women Jake has recruited so far are quite young, probably of an age that would be appealing to Horizon Fitness if they were looking for new recruits. Deborah is not a youth or an under 23 - in fact she is nearer to my 41 years than the young'uns who do top flight cycling. I am therefore concerned that he may be keen on her not only because of her racing abilities but also so that he could lumber her with the role of "de facto" team manager. Now that's not so appealing.

I understand that he approached one woman, a very fast veteran track racer from Willesden CC and she turned down the offer. He is therefore probably doing the rounds of all "women of a certain age" and Deborah is one of them. Should she still be flattered?

I feel bad because when Deborah excitedly told me the news via email and asked my opinion, I gave a brief reply along the lines of do what you feel is best for you and make sure you are happy with the deal you are getting. I suppose I didn't want to sound like I was being possessive or bitchy.
In hindsight, and also on the advice of my other half, I think I should have just told her the above. After all, if she is so new she probably doesn't know what a good/bad deal is.

For instance, non-sponsored clubs like Dulwich Paragon contribute towards travel expenses, Surrey League pay entry fees to National Team Series races, London Dynamo pay entry fees and travel expenses. Sponsored teams Mule Bar Girls and Rapha Condor Ladies gave free items of kit and contributed towards race entry fees last season. Gels Inc give nothing - well actually, a couple of inner tubes and an unpaid part-time job! In short it seems like life would be alot easier and more pleasant if one stayed with their regular club than ran off after this! I think I should have a word with Deborah......