Team UK - Sponsorship question.

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GarryJones
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Joined: 13 Aug 2017, 9:51am

Team UK - Sponsorship question.

Post by GarryJones »

Three Swedish riders have been stopped from the World Championships by their own teams. The Swedish Cycling Federation (SCF) have a sponsorship deal with Swedish company POC regarding clothes, helmets and glasses.

Jenny Rissveds from Sweden won the MTB Olympic Gold in Rio last year. Jenny rides for Scott-Odlo MTB Racing Team. The team have demanded she uses the team helmet and glasses during the upcoming World Championships in Australia. Riders Alexandra Engen och Ida Jansson also ride for teams who have made the same decision.

There has been a deadlock over this all year. The teams and riders have known about this since February 2016. During 2016 the SCF and POC allowed the riders to ride with the teams' glasses and helmets to honour existing contracts. But it was always said there would be no such allowances from this season. Yesterday the news broke that the teams are not relenting and the riders have been stopped from entering the Worlds.

The SCF face fines if POC helmets and glasses are not used. Their position is they fund youth training programs and lay the foundation for young cyclists to blossom into professional riders. The deal with POC aids the investment in the next generation. So when riding for the national team they don't feel it's too much to demand that their own sponsor's equipment should be used. The teams do not have to fund youth cycling programs and can simply sign the riders the federation have produced without compensation.

I am a Londoner who emigrated to Sweden in the 80's. Opinions about this have divided Swedish Cycling. I just feel it is terrible that three young stars are being refused permission to start in the Worlds by their own teams.

My question is how the question of sponsorship regarding helmets and glasses (for road and mtb riders) is treated in the UK and any other country you may have knowledge of.
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TrevA
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Joined: 1 Jun 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Nottingham

Re: Team UK - Sponsorship question.

Post by TrevA »

I feel that you may not get much response to your post on this forum as it is not a race oriented forum.

I know quite a few of the younger GB road pro's - Ben Swift, Pete Kennaugh, Luke Rowe, Alex Dowsett, as my son used to race against them when he was younger. My son also represented GB at Cyclo-cross. His experience was that you had to wear the GB team clothing but were free to use your own equipment/bike/helmet, etc.

Team GB is sponsored by HSBCUK and I think Cervelo is their current bike sponsor. The track riders would be expected to use the provided kit, including helmets, etc not because they are provided by a particular sponsor, but because there is an aero advantage in doing so. The situation is different for Road Pro's who would just use the bike, helmet, glasses that they normally use. Again they would be expected to use GB clothing and may use GB helmets, as there may be an aero advantage in doing so. I know Cav had a special helmet when he won the 2011 Worlds.
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