Another 'British' sponsor?

[Noodley]

What's the opinion about the chances of another 'British' sponsor of a pro tour team?

Is it too much to think that another company will pile cash into sponsorship to the same extent that SKY have?

 

[rich p]

It's about time Virgin got into it. Good clean brand association!

 

[Chuffy]

I've not heard any rumours and anyway, surely a British sponsor would want a British team? No way Sky are going to share their jersey with anyone.

 

[rich p]

I've not heard any rumours and anyway, surely a British sponsor would want a British team? No way Sky are going to share their jersey with anyone.

...or a team built round Cav! I'm not suggesting that's likely though.

 

[Dags11]

RBS - once they mismanage the money, the tax payer bails them out, simple

 

[Noodley]

It's about time Virgin got into it. Good clean brand association!

Funnily enough, I edited the original OP in which I had suggested Virgin as an option.
IMO the Virgin brand would be a great addition to the ranks of the Pro peloton.

I can see the benefits of having 2 British teams fighting it out, rather than one team trying to accomodate loads of brit riders.

And a decent women's team as well.

David Millar as DS?

 

[Red Light]

RBS - once they mismanage the money, the tax payer bails them out, simple

But lets leave that one until after Scottish independence can we so the rest of us don't have to pick up the bill this time and we can have a good old Scottish-English battle.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I don't think there are enough British riders at that level yet. For a British sponsor to get any benefit in this country they'd need a Tour contender, it's still the only race that generates any real coverage in the media.

 

[Noodley]

I wouldn't suggest that the riders had to be Brits, just that it was a Brit-sponsored team with a core of Brits.

There might even be scope to develop a team whoch is NOT a tour-focused team to widen the appeal of the sport in the UK...

 

[Dayvo]

I've had a thought on several occasions that, given his enthusiasm and interest, Alan Sugar might get involved at some stage. Although I suspect he might be too old now.

It made me chuckle to think he could have Cube cycles for his riders and the team would be called, naturally, Sugar-Cube!

 

[black'n'yellow]

No way Sky are going to share their jersey with anyone.

not even with IG Markets..?

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Endura were looking good to move up as a team, but then Sky poached their best rider (JTL) and they are now merging with Team Net App and moving to Germany.

 

[zimzum42]

It's not really UK audiences that Sky or any other sponsor is worried about though. The main market for cycling advertising is continental Europe. Sky want to increase their profile across Europe as this is their next target (I remember reading somewhere that Italy is a big focus for them)

Any UK sponsor would have to be a company that has ambitions in the rest of Europe, it's not worth the money if the UK is your only significant market.

 

[Booyaa]

I don't think there are enough British riders at that level yet. For a British sponsor to get any benefit in this country they'd need a Tour contender, it's still the only race that generates any real coverage in the media.

poach Chris Froome and build a team around him?

Noodley, not going for a major tour would probably not increase awareness in the UK, the general public only really pay attention to the TdF, there are other small British teams but the masses seem uninterested in them, probably because they do not have big names going for the TdF GC.

 

[Red Light]

poach Chris Froome

For some strange reason this sort of image popped into my brain