Should Pro Cycling Teams Build Stronger, Franchise-Like Brands?

[Carolin Schloßer]

Hi!

I'm currently conducting research for my Master's thesis on fan preferences in professional road cycling and how a consistent team identity (same team name, logo, colors) might influence team identification and fan engagement.

As we all know, pro cycling teams often change names and identities as sponsors come and go. I'm curious to hear your thoughts:

Would you prefer teams to have a more consistent identity (like football franchises), or do you think cycling's sponsor-based model works just fine?

I've created a short survey to explore this topic further — it only takes a few minutes, and your input would be incredibly valuable:


Survey - Professional Road Cycling - Fans


Thank you so much for your time and for helping me better understand what makes cycling fans tick!

Carolin

 

[Netserk]

It's annoying to spam the same survey in multiple threads.

 

[Unchained]

Hi!

I'm currently conducting research for my Master's thesis on fan preferences in professional road cycling and how a consistent team identity (same team name, logo, colors) might influence team identification and fan engagement.

As we all know, pro cycling teams often change names and identities as sponsors come and go. I'm curious to hear your thoughts:

Would you prefer teams to have a more consistent identity (like football franchises), or do you think cycling's sponsor-based model works just fine?

I've created a short survey to explore this topic further — it only takes a few minutes, and your input would be incredibly valuable:


Survey - Professional Road Cycling - Fans


Thank you so much for your time and for helping me better understand what makes cycling fans tick!

Carolin

View: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/LwGgXsfWtpo


Here's a place to start and multiple people currently in cycling have proposed " breakaway " league. And cycling has subdivided in many countries when infrastructure like UCI is unresponsive or too complicated or expensive. Asking layman what they would do is fun but can't contain many facts.. Gert from Brussels says key to good bike racing is free ice cream for everyone.. Not really data.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

There is one big difference between cycling and football, and that is that football takes place in a fixed location, where teams charge supporters to come and watch. Cycling does not have that and a lot less money flows from supporters, to the team. A lot of the money flow gets stuck at ASO and UCI. Teams don't have the luxury since the sport also, again unlike football, does not revolve around transfer fees (yet). There is less financial margin and teams sometimes have to jump from one sponsor to the next just to survive.

Due to being less popular, one way of enticing sponsors, is for the team to carry the main sponsor's name. Hence the name changes when the sponsor changes. This is also completely different from (most) football teams.

A strong brand makes sense for regions where cycling is popular. If nobody in Sri Lanka cares about it, then local brands will have little to gain by sponsoring it.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

In theory, I would prefer it if, for example, Caisse d'Epargne Abarca had changed to Movistar Abarca (that being the example that best comes to mind where the name of the team owner entity is known and long term).

But it's not a strong preference, and I wouldn't want to see teams forgo much sponsorship income for it. And when teams already have three sponsors in their name, a 'timeless' identifier would be overkill. There is also the complicating factor that sometimes the sponsors also buy the team, rather than just paying them to carry their name.

Similarly, some degree of consistency in colours of design would be nice: I guess the double stripe that has passed through various guises from Giant to Picnic, or the argyle that occasionally re-emerges in EF kits would be examples. But it is to be expected that companies with aggressively defended corporate identities would want to feature their brand colours.

I'd struggle to say there's much more to the issue than that: good luck trying to turn it into a masters' thesis.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

It's annoying to spam the same survey in multiple threads.

I have gathered the two threads with identical OPs into one.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Did the survey: intrigued as to how she will do a raffle for giftcards without having taken any email or anything....

 

[nedhill]

The premise of this survey is faulty. It is not a question of whether teams want to build asset value. It is well known that UCI and ASO are working in unison to maximise the value for the race organizers, in particular the ASO. Numerous studies show that. Further more take a Sports Business class, at any tier 1 B-School in the US and they will state it is the fundamental basis for sports teams. (you would fail the class if you didn't understand this).

Perhaps you should read the literature from a Tier 1 US school.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

UCI are the governing body, they shouldn't be involved with running the World Tour.......Look at F1, the FiA don't actually run it, merely just govern and enforce rules/ regs. A separate promoter runs the show, now Liberty Media; they decide the calendar, sell TV rights,, do deals with venues, etc That is how the World Tour should be - and once you're relegated, you don't race in WT races........

 

[Carolin Schloßer]

Did the survey: intrigued as to how she will do a raffle for giftcards without having taken any email or anything....

If you have completed the survey and would like to enter the raffle, you will be asked to enter your email address at the end of the survey

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

If you have completed the survey and would like to enter the raffle, you will be asked to enter your email address at the end of the survey

I did do the survey, and I was not.

 

[Carolin Schloßer]

I did do the survey, and I was not.

Then you were not eligible for the survey, and it was terminated prematurely.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Then you were not eligible for the survey, and it was terminated prematurely.

In that case, perhaps it could have been polite enough to thank me for my participation but unfortunately my data couldn't be used.

Rather than just dumping me into a page in another language.

Why would I be ineligible?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Nope: did it a second time: still not invited to submit an email address.

 

[Carolin Schloßer]

Nope: did it a second time: still not invited to submit an email address.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in my survey. Unfortunately, it appears that you do not meet the eligibility requirements for the survey, which is why the survey was terminated prematurely and you are not eligible in the prize raffle. I cannot tell you which criterion you do not meet, as the survey is anonymous and no conclusions ca be drawn about the participants.

If the survey is terminated prematurely, you will be notified. The entire survey is in English. Please understand that each participant can only take part in the survey once in oder to guarantee the accuracy of the data.

Thank you for your time and understanding!

 

[dazaau]

I know a lot of people on here have favourite riders. I'm not sure many have favourite teams? I have a few teams I don't really like for one reason or another, but I'm not invested in any team really.