Josh Poertner of Kadisco client Zipp has cornered the Ask Josh market, so here’s my version: Ask Kadisco. I get requests for advice from time to time, and I’ll post my answers here.

In this first installment, I got an email from a young Canadian who wanted advice on getting a pro contract and personal sponsorships. Here’s my response:

Thanks for getting in touch. I’m not as involved in the team scene as I used to be, but my sense is that there won’t be as my pro spots next year as there were this year. So with that in mind…

Every rider is different – different talent, different mentally, and different luck. So I don’t know exactly what’s best for you (or anyone, for that matter) but if I was standing in front of 200 riders in your position, my advice to the group would be to get on the best amateur team you can and get ready to spend a couple years balancing racing with work/school and living cheaply. If things happen quickly, great. If not, you’ll be ready to wait until you get an opportunity to move up in the food chain. You’re only 20 after all.

As for your personal sponsors, the fact that you already have some puts you in a better spot than most riders. I think your best bet is to reach out through them to their friends and see what you come up with. Create an email list of your sponsors and their friends who might be interested in following your progress, send periodic emails to the list if you get a great result or an article written about you, and update your blog as much as you can. If you think someone might be interested in sponsoring you, don’t be shy about asking.

I guess that my advice is to just hustle and sell yourself, but be ready for it to take a while to pay off. Cool?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Ask Kadisco, Bike Racing, Sponsorships.