SPECIAL REPORT | CYCLING BIG BUSINESS AT LA GRANDE BOUCLE One of the most gripping races in the long history of the Tour de France was also one of its most commercially successful. By James Emmett The build-up to the 98th edition of compelling Tours in recent history. The the Tour de France, which took place ASO, and specifically Tour director Christian across three weeks and 3,450km this Prudhomme, are to be applauded for ensuring July, was dominated by the ongoing Alberto the stages were varied enough to keep the Cantador saga. The Spaniard, a three-time race open right up to its final throes. As Tour winner and the defending champion such, spectators along the roads, although coming into this year’s event, is still awaiting impossible to accurately gauge since no a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for ticketing policy is possible in open road racing, Sport (CAS) on whether or not he is guilty seemed more than usually thronging, with the of having doped during the 2010 Tour. The stages in Lourdes and on the Alpe d’Huez in Spanish cycling federation have already cleared particular attracting seas of spectators. It is him, but the case has gone to CAS because the estimated that some 15 million people line the roads to watch the Tour each year. “There’s no other sport Television figures, a more reliable measurement of the Tour’s popularity, were that allows fans to be as also some of the best ever recorded. The close to the action and that European Broadcast Union (EBU) reported that figures were up across almost all its connection can really be of member nations. TV2 Norway achieved a value to sponsors.” 41.33 per cent average share, Dutch public organisation charges between €100,000 and broadcaster NOS 45.65 per cent. TV2 €200,000 to towns for the right to play host Denmark attracted an average of 418,000 to the beginning or end of various stages. The UCI, world cycling’s governing body, and the viewers, registering a 54.8 per cent share, while Grand Depart, the start of the Tour, which is World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dispute in Belgium public service broadcaster EEN now attracting interest from potential hosts that decision. The time the whole affair has recorded an average market share of 66 per as far-flung as Qatar and Japan, commands taken, almost everyone in the sport seems to cent and reached a peak of 76.52 per cent on million-euro sums. ASO, which can offer agree, is ridiculous and Contador, having been the second weekend of the Tour. The race a suite of sports properties extending far allowed to compete by the race organisers is now broadcast in more than 180 countries beyond the Tour, also has an ever-expanding ASO since he is still technically innocent – at and rights fees go most of the way to making sponsorship portfolio, as the trend continues least until the CAS decision – was booed at up the €100 million it is thought to cost ASO for companies looking to associate themselves the rider presentation event that preceded the to run the event each year – particularly those with cycling, wary of having their brand start of the Tour. Thankfully, as the racing paid by the EBU and France Télévisions, both tarnished by doping scandals, viewing event got underway, the drama on the roads quickly of whom signed five-year renewals believed sponsorship as a safer option than team eclipsed that off it. to be worth a collective sum of almost €200 sponsorship. Qatar Airways and Le Coq 198 riders from 22 teams started the million this year. Sportif are the most recent additions to a Tour this year – all 18 top-tier ProTeams In fact, for ASO, part of the media corporate partnership list that includes LCL as well as four wild card teams from the organisation that runs several other sports Banque, Vittel, Carrefour, Orange, PMU, lower continental division, given special events as well as owning French newspaper Festina, Brandt, Ag2r Mondiale and Škoda, invitations by ASO. From a racing perspective, L’Equipe, the Tour is an immensely profitable whose Europe-wide activation campaign, this was one of the most competitive and business. As well as broadcast rights fees, the including standout television adverts, was 8485 | SportsProMedia.com SportsPro Magazine | 8485 080-085_Tour of the France_v1.indd 84 08/08/2011 16:24:00 highly effective this year. Of course, VIK profits from the Tour are spread around its still the key measurement for teams looking elements to many of the deals are likely to other loss-making cycling events, and which for sponsors and there is very little on-site be substantial, given the race requires some resulted in several teams barring broadcast activation beyond the corporate caravan of 2,400 vehicles and the accommodation, travel journalists from their team buses this year. trucks and floats that drives along each route and sustenance requirements of the 4,500 In fact, cycling is unique in that sporting ahead of the riders. personnel involved over the three weeks, but endeavour, how the races play out, who According to Jared Melzer, sports the best estimates suggest that ASO is able to goes in a breakaway to ensure that television marketing and sponsorships manager for count on around €40 million in sponsorship cameras are on them for as long as possible Team Radioshack’s Johan Bruyneel Sports revenue for the Tour annually. and when, is shaped as often by sentiment or Management organisation, cycling needs to do Sponsorship plays an even more crucial commercial necessity as by tactical racecraft. a lot more to drive value for its backers. “We role for the teams that compete at the Tour. Team Europcar, wanting to justify their new need to continually try to show more value, to The teams, whose annual budgets range from sponsor’s investment in them with some TV help sponsors with their strategy, help them around €7 million to €16 million, are almost time and racing on their home roads in the integrate. Because when a sponsorship runs entirely dependent on wealthy owners or Vendée region, had riders in almost every out, there’s always going to be that evaluation sponsorship. Merchandise sales account for single break in the first week of the Tour. part. I think people are getting better, within a small percentage of each team’s revenues And yet, despite ASO’s burgeoning the sponsorship industry, at putting less but prize money is insubstantial – at least portfolio and the fact that title sponsors emphasis on that media exposure figure, media compared to elite events in other sports commit sums of up to €12 million a year value. It’s going back to sales, or introducing – and they are not entitled to any share to the teams, cycling is still one of the most products or uniting employees. It’s what of broadcast fees – an issue that is raised unsophisticated sponsorship markets in matters to companies and then figuring out almost every year, with ASO arguing that sport. Estimated equivalent media value is ways to use cycling to help achieve these 8485 | SportsProMedia.com SportsPro Magazine | 8485 080-085_Tour of the France_v1.indd 85 08/08/2011 16:24:10 SPECIAL REPORT | CYCLING goals. And that’s where sponsorship in cycling hasn’t really moved on yet. It’s very hospitality- driven. It’s all about CEO, CMO, CFOs getting together. It’s still very much an ego-buy sport. “Cycling is like a travelling circus or festival. Each day there are new start and finish cities, with many opportunities to connect and engage with fans at these locations, at the bus, on mountain tops. It’s a sport that you can activate globally, nationally, regionally and locally. There’s no other sport that allows fans to be as close to the action and that connection can really be of value to sponsors if they capitalise on it correctly. People wait outside team buses for hours, or stake out their spot on mountains hours before the race comes through, and no company is engaging them while they wait. It’s a captive audience.” TEAM BY TEAM REVIEW: BMC (USA) Co-owned by former US Olympic cyclist Jim Ochowicz, BMC might be an American team in name, but it deals not in dollars but in Swiss francs. Andy Rihs, the richest man Team Europcar, through Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland, consistently delighted the French public in cycling having made hundreds of millions through hearing aids, is both a co-owner and, Despite being funded by Flavio Becca, in professional cycling and a man who has through his up-market Swiss bike brand BMC, whispers on the pro-cycling circuit suggest done more than most to combat doping in the a sponsor of the team. Pouring money into that Nygaard is under pressure to sign a sport, is partnered by Doug Ellis, a man who his plaything in search of the perfect squad, sponsor to ease the financial burden on his made his money in software engineering and last year he signed Cadel Evans, the Australian owner. To that end, the team signed a deal whose deep pockets were crucial to the genesis who has come close to winning the Tour with Infront Ringier hoping to take advantage of the team. The association with GPS device several times. Evans’s victory this year has all of Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara’s popularity manufacturer Garmin has now been running but ensured that Rihs will keep his enthusiasm, in his home market.