Why no women's Team Sky?

afx237vi

Just reading that Nicole Cooke's team has folded and was wondering why there is no female branch of Team Sky?

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... times.html

Cervelo and Columbia have done it, and Sky has a much bigger budget than those teams, so why not? It seems especially odd when Sky is being run by British Cycling, who are supposed to support all forms of cycling.

Coriander

Coz women don't matter.

C'mon. Keep up.

Pokerface

afx237vi wrote:

Just reading that Nicole Cooke's team has folded and was wondering why there is no female branch of Team Sky?

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... times.html

Cervelo and Columbia have done it, and Sky has a much bigger budget than those teams, so why not? It seems especially odd when Sky is being run by British Cycling, who are supposed to support all forms of cycling.

Team Sky isn't being run by BC. It's being run by Dave Brailsford. Not the same thing.

afx237vi

Pokerface wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

Just reading that Nicole Cooke's team has folded and was wondering why there is no female branch of Team Sky?

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... times.html

Cervelo and Columbia have done it, and Sky has a much bigger budget than those teams, so why not? It seems especially odd when Sky is being run by British Cycling, who are supposed to support all forms of cycling.

Team Sky isn't being run by BC. It's being run by Dave Brailsford. Not the same thing.

But he's the Performance Director of British Cycling, no?

There's lots of guff here...

http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/search ... rgergerg-0

...about grassroots and using BC's expertise to help further cycling talent and all that. As long as they're not women, obviously.

Zukn

He probably (foolishy) thought that the womens cycling was tied up and stable for team competetive events and they could generate no revenue.

Jez mon

Probably because, whatever the guff says, Sky want as much exposure as possible, and unfortunately women's cycling doesn't get the coverage in this country.

Zukn

TRue Jez Mon, Female cyclists only get mentioned in the UK when the Olympics are on. Or as quick note on local news.

afx237vi

Jez mon wrote:

Probably because, whatever the guff says, Sky want as much exposure as possible, and unfortunately women's cycling doesn't get the coverage in this country.

Well, of course, it all boils down to money in the end. But women's cycling will only grow if it gets fully-funded professional teams that compete in all the races... and Sky could certainly have given the women's side of the sport a big boost.

I don't know, it just seems contrary to what Brailsford did on the track, where women and men were given equal status. Obviously it's very different on the road, where the women's side is virtually ignored, but to me it just seems like an opportunity missed.

Zukn

Actualy Ignoring the women is typical of ANY succsessful road race team. I'm disapointed he didn't think it was worth the column inches. IIRC Cervelo Test team is the only team with a same brand female team.
It goes back to the days of not allowing women to run beyond 400m, in the 1896 games. Athletics caught up and now womens marathon and ultra distance competitiors are regarded well. But anything beyond a few laps is regarded as too draining for the fragile flowers of cycling.
On a comedy asside any girl who wants a stick thin model physique should become a competive cyclist. I mean the guys are bean polls. Maybe that's the way to promote it to the girls?

Pokerface

Brailsford is still the Performace Director of BC.

But, from what I understand, Team Sky is a separate commercial venture, that will be partnered with British Cycling. But it won't be government (lottery) funded in any way. Not entirely sure what the partnership entails. Possibly just sharing office space!

Le Commentateur

IIRC Cervelo Test team is the only team with a same brand female team.

Not Coluimbia High Road? Get your eyes tested.

Pokerface

Le Commentateur wrote:

IIRC Cervelo Test team is the only team with a same brand female team.

Not Coluimbia High Road? Get your eyes tested.

In all fairness - it's hard to tell those are women. :shock:

stagehopper

Lotto sponsor both male and female cycling teams - Lotto-Bellisol is the women's team and Silence-Lotto for the men. Teams are unconnected though.

Think Sky have missed a huge trick here, particularly as part of the "ethos" behind Team Sky, or at least the PR they're pushing, is a vast increase in cycling in this country amongst all ages and sexes.

The relative cost of a women's team would be a drop in the ocean compared to the men's. Squads are much smaller (minimum of 8, maximum of 16, but most operate around 10-12) and wages miniscule. Cooke and Wyman (before he left) did a superb job in putting together all the ancillary stuff as the list of partners shows (e.g. they ride the same Focus bikes as Milram):

http://www.vision1cycling.com/index.php ... &Itemid=53

it's the running costs which seem to have scuppered them. Entry fees, travel costs, hotels etc

LittleB0b

Zukn wrote:

IIRC Cervelo Test team is the only team with a same brand female team.

They're not (but someone else has already mentioned that) - but I was checking out the test team website - and was really impressed that they list ALL the test team riders together - this makes me think heres a team where women are seen as integral rather than an add on.

Good marketing - I now look much more favorably on the brand

LittleB0b

Pokerface wrote:

In all fairness - it's hard to tell those are women. :shock:

In all fairness - it's not hard to tell you're a man - it's the large dick on your head :shock:

of course I'm only joking, just like you eh?

iainf72

There is barely any coverage of womans road cycling on telly so perhaps running a womans team doesn't make sense in the UK / Italian markets Sky are concerned with?

Aside from the Worlds and Olympics where they ride for national, rather than trade, teams.

Pokerface

LittleB0b wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

In all fairness - it's hard to tell those are women. :shock:

In all fairness - it's not hard to tell you're a man - it's the large dick on your head :shock:

of course I'm only joking, just like you eh?

I thought that was going to read ".... in your hand."

GroupOfOne MkII

iainf72 wrote:

Aside from the Worlds and Olympics where they ride for national, rather than trade, teams.

And of course will have the Sky logos on their GB kit (Worlds at least, can't remember if they did in the Olympics), so becoming almost a de facto Sky team.

Pokerface

GroupOfOne MkII wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Aside from the Worlds and Olympics where they ride for national, rather than trade, teams.

And of course will have the Sky logos on their GB kit (Worlds at least, can't remember if they did in the Olympics), so becoming almost a de facto Sky team.

SKY also sponsor British Cycling in general. In fact, SKY committed several million £££ to British CYcling long before the pro team was announced. (£5 million over 5 years I think). That funding was simply to help promote cycling in the UK. But it also helped create the SKY+HD trade team that you have seen on the track and the branding on the GB kit.

No sponsor logos apart from your country name and the clothing manufacturer are allowed on Olympic clothing - it was the World's kit that had the SKY branding.

It's a complicated, multi-tiered sponsorship agreement between SKY and BC.

le_patron

I am confused as to the links/difference between GB, Sky, BC etc, so if anyone wants to try and explain it, feel free.

What makes it a GB team if it's a seperate commercial venture, sponsored by a corporate muti-national and full of non UK riders ?

Pokerface

le patron wrote:

I am confused as to the links/difference between GB, Sky, BC etc, so if anyone wants to try and explain it, feel free.

What makes it a GB team if it's a seperate commercial venture, sponsored by a corporate muti-national and full of non UK riders ?

The GB team is just that - the GB team. They ride for our country. Mostly at international events where countries are represented rather than trade teams (such as the Olympics, World Championships, etc).

British Cycling oversee cycling in the UK - including the GB team. They promote cycling at all levels, but pick the national teams for various events.

SKY is a TV company.

SKY is just a sponsor. They have injected large amounts of cash into the system to promote cycling, but mostly to promote themselves = getting their logo on as much GB kit as they can.

They are also separately sponsoring a new Professional Cycling team (just like Saxo Bank, Astana, Rabobank, etc). This will (Hopefully) be a full ProTour team on the UCI international circuit. It will be made up of approximately 50% British riders (marketing ploy, not a necessity) and 50% from other countries (the list of possible riders is long and distinguished).

I think Rabobank has a similar set-up - where they work with the national team as well as a ProTour team.

knedlicky

iainf72 wrote:

There is barely any coverage of womans road cycling on telly so perhaps running a womans team doesn't make sense in the UK / Italian markets Sky are concerned with?

I think the Sky Sport Channel in Italy covers the Giro Donne, if not live then giving some air time in the evening to the day’s racing highlights, and with pre-stage and after-stage interviews.

Re publicity given generally to women’s cycling, during this year’s (men’s) Giro d’Italia, RAI (National Italian Television) had Fabiana Luperini as studio guest one midday to discuss the race so far and preview that day’s stage, and after a couple of stages they had Silvia Parietti and Alessandra D’ettore at the finishes to talk to top Italian riders like Di Luca about the stage which had just finished.
I imagine this using female riders as commentators and interviewers must indirectly help women’s cycling, because they have to be introduced to the viewing audience and because they sound as if they know what they’re talking about.

(Luperini is probably the most successful woman rider ever, at least in Tours, and her record of winning 4 Giro Donne and 3 Tour Feminin one after the other, so in less than 4 years, is likely to stand a long time. Parietti has won several of the smaller regional Tours. Don’t know much about D’ettore)

GroupOfOne MkII

Pokerface wrote:

GroupOfOne MkII wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

Aside from the Worlds and Olympics where they ride for national, rather than trade, teams.

And of course will have the Sky logos on their GB kit (Worlds at least, can't remember if they did in the Olympics), so becoming almost a de facto Sky team.

SKY also sponsor British Cycling in general

Indeed I know, my point was that regardless of whether Sky sponsor a women's trade team, they'll get their logo on Nicole Cooke, Emma Pooley et al during the one big women's race that is guaranteed a British audience. Having a Sky trade team in the women's Giro or Grand Boucle won't get them on British TV, having Sky logos on the GB kit at the world championships will.