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Seeking advices for sponsorship for a friend that performs really well and intend to turn pro in the next few years
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Dear Slowtwitch. I come to you in the hopes that your collective knowledge will help me help a friend who's looking for a bike sponsor.

He is a relatively young athlete (21) who has been performing rather well on the national and panamerican elite scene but would eventually be interested in going for longer distances in the near future. This athlete is usually involved in elite races but enters AG races sporadically. He usually (read almost always) wins these races as the bike leg is really his strength.

Just some quick numbers

Last three olympics all below 2:00 with a recent results at 1:56.
Can maintain around 315 watts (for 64-65kg) for the bike leg and run fairly well off the bike (34:xx)

With that in mind, how would you guys go about contacting eventual bike sponsors. He is fairly shy and still young hence why I want to lend a helping hand as with his potential he could make the leap to longer distances and possibly be competitive (still remains to be seen).

Any advices would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
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Re: Seeking advices for sponsorship for a friend that performs really well and intend to turn pro in the next few years [snoop] [ In reply to ]
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My advice is to just ride the bike he has and not worry about sponsorship till he has won something and really has an identity worth brands attention. Most lower tier deals would be say a bike at a wholesale price or special athlete deal. It is often cheaper and easier to just buy something on sale or second hand anyways. So he is better staying focused on training and race goals. This lower tier sponsorship can just be a distraction for an athlete at the end of the day.
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Re: Seeking advices for sponsorship for a friend that performs really well and intend to turn pro in the next few years [lukegillmer] [ In reply to ]
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lukegillmer wrote:
My advice is to just ride the bike he has and not worry about sponsorship till he has won something and really has an identity worth brands attention. Most lower tier deals would be say a bike at a wholesale price or special athlete deal. It is often cheaper and easier to just buy something on sale or second hand anyways. So he is better staying focused on training and race goals. This lower tier sponsorship can just be a distraction for an athlete at the end of the day.


I second this. Until he has a pro card and does something with it, then proceed with seeking deals. As stated above, they will likely be lower tier deals until he wins races and makes himself marketable. And by marketable I don't just mean race results, he needs to use social media platforms to his advantage and produce organic content that gets noticed, shared etc.
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Re: Seeking advices for sponsorship for a friend that performs really well and intend to turn pro in the next few years [Annonomys539] [ In reply to ]
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social media this social media that!

this is the key these days.

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Trying since 81
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Re: Seeking advices for sponsorship for a friend that performs really well and intend to turn pro in the next few years [Magma] [ In reply to ]
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There are a number of keys here. Companies want exposure, so the elements that need to be mastered are social media (and followers) and being good. So being insightful and funny on social media and engaging with followers (you need influence). This doesn't mean long race reports, save that for ST unless you are Lionel/etc, it is very nuanced for a non-name athlete to get sponsorship.

As for being good/fast, here is the funny part, being a great swimmer is more likely to get you a bike than being a great cyclist. If you are first out of the water, your equipment is on display as you leave T1, if you come out in 20th, there are 19 others in front of you. Perception at the moment to spectators is that you aren't that fast. Everything is measured in exposure/unique unobstructed "views".

Quite frankly, chasing sponsorship is not a very cost effective way to spend your time. If it is a good deal, the sponsor will usually reach out to you or jump on the opportunity if you put yourself out there, otherwise you are just getting a discount. You are more likely to get a LBS to give you the same/similar deal for less hassle.
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