Next ROAD column
Just sent in my column for the September issue of ROAD. The piece talks about the recent sponsorship deals with Garmin, Columbia, and Saxo Bank for the teams formerly known as Slipstream, High Road, and CSC, respectively. Here’s an excerpt:
On the surface, the trio of deals seems like an unquestionably auspicious sign for cycling. But ESPN’s Bonnie D. Ford, a veteran chronicler of the sport and of Slipstream in particular, speculated that the team’s deal with GPS device maker Garmin and High Road’s deal with Columbia sportswear aren’t sufficient to run a Tour de France team. A statement from High Road owner Bob Stapleton seemed to confirm her hypothesis.
If it’s true, it could put smaller teams in a difficult position by setting a precedent that the title sponsorship of a competitive Tour de France team can be had for less than what it currently costs to run one. For a program without the backing of a billionaire like Stapleton or Slipstream’s Doug Ellis, the only choice would be to cut costs, with reduced salaries for riders being a likely result.
The issue hits newsstands on August 14. My past columns are archived here.