My thank you mission.

Yep and I'm hoping that when Greenedge do name a sponsor it will be fosters, or castlemane, or jacobs creek...

Can you see a pattern developing here?

Day 3. http://wp.me/p1PuVi-8z

I'm going to keep posting these up here, let me know if you are offensively bored.

Day 4. http://wp.me/p1PuVi-8O

Just to remind y'all what the deal is, this is the introduction from day 1.

In these times of economic uncertainty we all need a bit of boost…Cycling is no exception. As I mentioned in a previous post, sponsors make or break teams and keep the sport going . So with this in mind I have decided to reward as many of them as I can with my hard earned money.

In short, every day from today until the Champs Elysees and the final stage of le Tour I will buy/use/eat/drink or whatever I have to do in order to become a customer of a company that keeps pro-cycling (at all levels) going. I’l post each day on that product’s twitter to let them know that it is cycling advertising that got me there, and just to say thank you.

Pleas feel free to suggest products that are appropriate for particular days. I’l try to keep it interesting, with a little history (Yes that is interesting!) of the company and it’s involvement in the sport. Hope you enjoy.

Basically it's just looking at products and using them as a launchpad for conversation. Merci.


For those who dont want the effort of clicking through... Here's Day 4 in full.

I was given the idea for today’s Thank You by this video, starring everybody’s favourite ‘guilty’ pleasure, Alberto Contador. I have absolutely no idea what the greatest Grand Tour rider of his generation is saying…but one would imagine that it is some kind of answer to the question; How do you sleep at night? He’s flogging mattresses you see…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 33STUHKSWs

Now, I am not 100% sure how I feel about Bertie… On the one hand, some say he’s a dirty cheat. But, on the other hand he’s one of the classiest riders in the world and a genuine pleasure to watch. I am a huge fan of his stop/start/glance behind climbing style.

At the beginning of 2011 Contador’s very presence seemed an insult to the sport as many felt he should have been banned. His doping case hung over him, casting doubt and suspicion over his early season results in races like the Volta a Algarve, but he slowly got us back on side. His emphatic’Victory’ in last years Giro D’Italia seemed to dissolve some of the vitriol that had built up against him amid fans of the sport. Later in the year, his attempted defence of the Tour de France crown turned the jeers of a hostile crowd into respectful applause in the matter of a few tortuous mountain stages. We were now seeing the human side of the man, the rider who could lose gallantly, attacking solo from a long way out in a last ditch bid to retain his title. He isn’t universally popular though…





Since then so much has happened. He has been sanctioned for his alleged clenbuterol (Alleged….) abuse, lost a Giro and a Tour, been dropped from his team (yeah right..), managed to serve the majority of a two year ban in less than six months.. and even found the time to get married. He’s a been a busy man.

The loss of Contador seems to have ruined the ambitions of his Saxo-Bank team, who I don’t think have won a race yet this year (I might be wrong though and cant be bothered to check). They don’t have a single rider in the top 100 rankings on the brilliant Cycling Quotient . It’s safe to say that Bjarne Riis has placed all his eggs in the Alberto Contador basket. Without the sanction, that might have been a good move, now however it looks as though SaxoBank may be making way for another team on the 2013 World Tour.



With Contador’s results since the 2010 Tour annulled, Thursday will see the 2011 Giro winner given his jersey. Michele Scarponi has to be one of the favourites for this years race, but as to last year… He says, ‘It will be a welcome recognition, a reward for the fine (2011) Giro d’Italia’. This May he wants to win it outright. Looking at the opposition I would say he has a damn good chance.

Today’s product/brand is Sportful. Whilst watching that video all I could think was a) For a man who no longer rides for SaxoBank, that looks a hell of a lot like a SaxoBank jersey… and b) That Sportful kit looks very nice indeed, I’l just take a look on wiggle and see what they have… 10 minutes later…Look what I bought. All of it will remain in a drawer until I can afford the bibs too…. I’m a little bit OCD about kit, if it doesnt match…I can’t wear it!







Sportful are the sponsor/kit provider for Alberto Contador’s ex/current/future team, SaxoBank. I think I am right in saying that Sportful are owned by Castelli (or whoever Castelli are owned by)and is therefore produced in the same factory and of similar in quantity fit and style. I hope so, because I am a massive fan of Castelli stuff! Nothing says cycling chique like that little white scorpion.

Though their roots belong in the cold weather wardrobe of cross country skiing, Sportful, founded in 1946 do have their place in cycling history. In 2002 they became the clothing suppliers for the Azzuri, the Italian national cycling team. Spearheaded by the lion king himself, the team found success at the world championships at Zolder. Cipo crossed the line in a blue jersey with a little S. He wasn’t the last Italian to do so.





On that note, Thank You Sportful.