In an email to Cyclingnews, UCI President Pat McQuaid wrote: “The report presents four key strategic factors which should be addressed to further develop the sport. The UCI will share those recommendations with its Stakeholders Consultation to assist the sport in strengthening the sponsorship platform that it presents to brands globally.”
The Stakeholders Consultation has been managed by Deloitte and has included meeting with riders, teams, organisers, sponsors and other key members of the cycling family to gather information and advice on the future of the sport. The UCI has promised to publish the report's finding later this year.
The Cyclingnews sponsorship report used data calculated by Repucom and focused on the sponsorship value within the sport of cycling. It stressed that the sport has reached a tipping point, highlighting that few global brands participate in the sport, even though professional cycling offers substantial and efficient media exposure returns.
“No other sport provides the same opportunity for fans to be part of the theatre of the sport which is played out against some of the most beautiful and scenic backdrops in the world,” McQuaid wrote.
“The sponsorship opportunities that exist for brands to engage fans and to be part of that story are unparrelled in sport.”
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“I congratulate Cyclingnews and Repucom for this extremely insightful study into the value of global sponsorship opportunities offered by cycling.”
The report also concluded that that there was a direct correlation between aggressive racing tactics and branding exposure while fans of the sport played a vital role.
“The report confirms that cycling is now a global sport and that it presents enormous value and return on investment for sponsors with the UCI WorldTour now broadcasting to audiences across 175 countries and the existence of an international peloton representing 44 different countries. There has never been a better time to invest in cycling."
“The international development of cycling and the extension of the UCI World Tour race calendar has opened up exciting new opportunities for existing sponsors to promote themselves globally and has also been a catalyst for attracting new sponsors into the sport," he said.
“One of my priorities on becoming UCI President was to globalise the sport so that it attracted new audiences and sponsors in order to underpin its extremely bright future. This report by Cyclingnews and Repucom provides an insight into the success of that strategy."
