The Future of Pro Cycling?

Since the end of the Tour of CA I have thought about how much it seems like pro cycling has changed. You still have teams, you still have riders, you still have sponsors, and you still have tours. Those are the constant factors of cycling. However there are factors that change constantly. You have doping, you have new rules, you have new technology, you have new riders on new teams, you have new sponsors, and you have new tours. It seems that from last year the cycling world has been turned not necessarily upside down, but on it's side.

Astana:
As we all know Astana was banned from any ASO events. All new team under all new management. We all know this is BS and hopefully that decision will be overturned.

Rock Racing:
Say what you will about Michael Ball, but the man is bringing fresh new ideas to cycling. He's shaking up the cycling world with his candid approach and criticism of the norm. This is not golf and this is not a gentleman's sport. He wants to come in and change the sport for the better. Granted he's not being a gentleman about it, but I think it is the right approach. He got a lot of coverage last week and got his message out to the fans as well as the governing bodies. The old boy network of cycling doesn't like change. I think with the fans support of Ball's ideas it will put more pressure on the UCI and ASO to make changes. Ball's main ideas include an organization of team owners. His idea of governing the sport internally is the correct way to do it. He also thinks the cyclists themselves should unite. NFL, MLB, & NBA all have players unions. Cycling should have the same thing. The changes Ball is proposing are not unreasonable. Like he said he is a business man first and foremost. He could single handedly change the sport of cycling.

UCI vs ASO:
How confusing is this. The fact is pro cycling is a poorly run sport and that is why it is in a state of panic. Doping was allowed to get out of control. Sponsors and fans strayed away, and cycling got a bad name for itself. How are two competing organizations supposed to govern one sport? They can't, and haven't. The comparison to cycling and open wheel racing is uncanny. The IRL and Champ Car are two identical organizations that tore apart the open wheel world. They have now come full circle and are in the process of combining their organizations because the sport is dying. These two organizations need to find a common ground and work with each other to rebuild this sport or it will also die a slow death.

NASCAR:
What does NASCAR have to do with pro cycling? The UCI and ASO need to benchmark the marketing style of NASCAR. Talk about similarities, you have racers, their rides, their sponsors, and teams. The keys to NASCAR are their fans, first and foremost, followed by the sponsors. With out those two things you have no NASCAR. Cycling is exactly the same way. Cycling needs to take a look at how the fans are listened to and how NASCAR changes its rules to better accommodate the fans. Sponsors are taken care of and their needs are met too. NASCAR sponsors spend 15-20 million dollars a year to sponsor one car. So to reel in a sponsor takes a lot of guarantees. Drivers do year round appearances and are constantly saying their sponsors name and showing their logo on TV.

Sponsors:
Cycling needs to take a sponsor friendly approach. You don't see the riders thanking their sponsors when they are interviewed, they don't thank the bike manufactures for the technology they are riding, and they don't thank the teams which include the mechanics and support drivers. I don't want to turn this into a knock on the cyclists themselves but rather a knock on system as a whole. I look at some of the sponsors in cycling and wonder where they came from. Granted I'm an "arrogant American" and don't know these European companies. With the average cost of sponsoring a pro team at about $12 million it doesn't surprise me that we don't see more mainstream companies stepping up to sponsor a team. With all the bad press cycling has gotten who would want to have a their name plastered across the chest of potential or confirmed doper. Not exactly the kind of press people look for. Until the sport is clean sponsors are going to be few and far between. For now I solute the sponsors that have stuck it out through the rough times. Hopefully things will get better sooner rather than later.

The Dude