Disclaimer: I realize almost half of my subscribers are on the not-referenced race team, which is why I saved the hot take for the third paragraph 😉.
I am an amateur, and I like it that way. I ride my own stuff, race the events I want, and I don’t worry about sponsors, obligatory events, or the politics surrounding team operations.
However, I committed to paying dues to be on a bike team. Why? Because I like the camaraderie and I desire to be a part of the community. I enjoy surrounding myself with other amateurs with “work kinda-hard, play hard” mentalities. I know myself, and I thrive in competitive environments where we can all be friends at the end of the day. I go outside and do my training intervals just like the rest the team, and on the weekends, we race to see who takes it more seriously and can sacrifice more in their personal lives. It’s a fun little way to live life on two wheels, among the countless ways to enjoy two-wheeled transportation. At the end of the day, I’m still an amateur, and I enjoy being a weekend warrior with like-minded individuals. So, aside from the commitment to the friends I’ve made on the team, and the fun volunteer and social opportunities presented, I struggle with answering the question, “is it worth the $$?”.
The cracks of being on a team start to appear with money and support, like everything in life, and the entitlement of the athletes that comes with it. You see, I don’t think there is any measurable ROI (Return on Investment) value in sponsoring a local bike team. If a local business or property wishes to sponsor a bike team, it’s usually because they have a personal connection with someone on it. There should not be any expectation on volunteer athletes to “support their sponsors” or promise some ROI further than passively being on a jersey, sticker, or promoted via word-of-mouth interactions. I want to be friends with the sponsor and thank them for the support, but it’s not worth having a “what’s in it for me” conversation with the sponsor or vice-versa. There are no salaries on a local team, we are all volunteers, and primarily, we are only here because we’re all friends. I’ve managed volunteers countless times, and as soon as you treat them like paid employees, they check out and leave. It’s the same with a group of bike racer folks who are paying to be on a team. We don’t pay to get yelled at about supporting our 'sponsors', and we certainly don’t pay money to have an employee-employer relationship with them.
That’s not to say a rider should avoid passively supporting their sponsor. If someone asks me for a shop or coffee recommendation, I’ll most likely list the sponsor on the back of the jersey. But if the sponsor asks me, “What have you done for me lately”, is where I draw the line. I’m not here to deliver an ROI presentation or justify my existence on the team to financially vested interests. Let’s not forget that this is a local, volunteer-led entity, and not a hyper-competitive pro-level team that negotiates more than passive marketing initiatives.
Think about this from the ground up. You have a group of friends who like riding and racing bikes together. You all say, “Hey, it’d be cool if we all wore the same jerseys or kit or something.”. You and your friends go about designing a kit and quickly realize it’s a lot more than a $20 Walmart t-shirt. To offset the costs, your buddy says, “Hey, I know a guy who works upstairs at the local WinCo foods. Maybe they’d throw us some cash for a spot on our jersey.”. Everyone agrees, and instead of an $80 polyester jersey, it’s $40 but has a WinCo logo on the back. Easy, right? You’d think so.
But wait, Johnny knows a guy with deep business pockets who also rides bikes and wants more customers from the cycling community. Johnny tells him, "Hey, if you throw us $5k, we'll put you on the jersey, AND all of us will tag you in 5 social media posts this summer.". That $5k now goes towards race entry or beer fees but has a stipulation attached. Now Johnny is playing manager, the group is on the hook, and the sponsor expects an ROI by the end of the year. You can see how it quickly spirals from a small group of friends with good intentions. There are other more egregious examples, like these pay-to-play teams requiring their "athletes" to spend thousands on a discounted training plan or team-spec bike.
I desire to be part of a club, a group of like-minded individuals who can race, ride, build trails, and volunteer our time under a common banner with open arms to other people and supporters. I’m not looking for some quasi-pro exclusive group of riders who want to act like they’re on the world tour, posing with sponsor-correct drinks, glasses, or bikes. We ride and race like amateurs because it’s fun. We wear the same jersey because we like each other and have similar mindsets and interests.
I am not a pretend pro, and I have no interest in playing pretend pro. For as many old-hats that buy the nicest gear and the most expensive training plans and yearn for the "good 'ol days", there are an equal number of young, ego-driven athletes with a chip on their shoulder looking for "more, more, and more" obligatory-free stuff. Balancing both ends of the spectrum is part of diving into a bike team and the fun-loving chaos that comes with it.
Anyways, that’s the hot take. Much love to the friends and camaraderie referenced.
Could not have said it better myself. Thanks for putting my thoughts on paper.