The fate of a cycling team lies in the hands of sponsors – true or false?
Sponsorship plays an important role in all the major events now a days and sports is the most important of them all.
Like many other sports, Cycling is a game which requires a lot of resources and involves several factors; the most important of them all is the financial support.
It is very important to have a right amount of capital available to ensure the smooth operation of a cycling team.
Providing the players with all the necessary equipment and training is a crucial recipe of success for any cycling team.
It has been observed that useful investment in the right direction is one of a key factor for a squad to succeed in any event.
The first and the most important investment a cycling unit needs from its investor are to be able to release enough funds to sign-up or buy the ideally suited candidates on its squad.
As the year crosses the half way mark, all the teams start their hustle to have the best riders on their panel and a lot of cash flows in the process.
Mostly, the teams try to retain their top performers as the UCI points earned by them are forwarded to the team’s account, if the cyclist remains intact.
Contracts worth of thousands of Euros are offered to the riders, depending on their performances throughout the previous season.
Spending money blindly in order to have the strongest side is not the best of the solutions for any investor as the firm also has to forecast a number of other factors.
For instance, Team Saxo Bank hired Alberto Contador in 2011 and the decision paid-off as the cyclist helped the Danish squad with numerous victories in the past season.
Almost 70 % of the total points earned by the Team came through the strong legs of Contador as he managed to grab the third overall spot after the UCI World Tour Individual rankings.
He won the overall classifications during the Vuelta a Murcia, Volta a Catalunya, Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, the Giro d’Italia and occupied the fifth overall position at the Tour de France.
However, all the efforts made by the Spaniard went down the drain after the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed him a two-year ban earlier in 2012 season.
Contador was accused of using unfair means to enhance his performance at the Tour de France 2012 and the jury was convinced that the cyclist cheated during the race.
Saxo Bank’s co-founder and the Chief Executive Lars Seier Christensen has extended full support for Alberto after his return in the second half of the season.
Contador cited, "The support I have experienced from the team in a very difficult situation is extraordinary”.
“I'm really looking forward to getting back on the bike and my aim is to repay that support, hopefully with some great results".
Team Owner Bjarne Riis briefed on the issue, "A lot of speculation and rumours have surrounded Alberto Contador and his future in the past months but our sponsors”.
“The team and Alberto have shared the same wish to continue and build on our relationship”.
Team Saxo Bank has signed a deal with Tinkoff Bank to form Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank in the second half of the 2012 season.
The new sponsor has already shown interest towards improving the team’s standards right through the start of the 2012 season.
Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov has briefed that he is willing to make the necessary investments to help the team’s standards in the seasons to come.
Hence, the fate of a cycling team is pretty much in hands of its sponsor, considering all the exceptions which include doping, an accident or any other unpleasant incident of that nature.
Tags: