If it is not obvious, I have no association with the team, other than really enjoying some of their exploits in racing and recently with Rigoberto Uran at the TdF and Woods at the Vuelta.

It should probably be mentioned that it was a new sponsor that pulled out at the last minute. (Just so the likes of Cannondale don't get unfairly blamed)

As I understand, Cannondale was planning to reduce its investment, and a new sponsor had been lined up to replace them. The new team, rumoured to be Unibet, pulled out at the last minute.

They could become the Dalian Wanda cycling team or the Ironman Cycling Team !!!

Pro cycling is sponsor-based, and sponsorship is often fickle. Far from the first time that a sponsor has evaporated and left a pro team in the lurch.

I feel bad for their up-and-coming riders who are now face unemployment and career limbo, but much of the budget shortfall was likely ear-marked for R.URan, who's improbable2nd place in TdF this year means the team probably needs $2M to retain him.

I have no interest in funding a sporting millionaire's salary. And with Hurricane Harvey devastating Texas, there's no shortage of much more needy individuals and worthy causes...

I like Cannondale-Drapac, but I have a hard time seeing this sort of crowdfunding as a healthy, long-term strategy.

Also, when I donate to charity to a large organization, I like to see financials so I can see where my money is going, and seeing if there's good stewardship. I haven't looked too hard, but I see little information from the team on this front. How much money do the senior executives make?

Looks like they've got some big name help to call up the donors, too!

https://www.google.com/...ac-fundraising%3famp

What a tragedy. Doug Ellis' wife finally got tired of plugging holes in Slipstream's budget, and JV might have to sell off part of his wine collection if a bunch of suckers don't subsidize his lifestyle. Sad.

As long as those suckers enjoy the entertainment that Cannondale provides it is a fair transaction. No one is forcing anyone to pay for that entertainment. It is just a matter of what people value for entertainment. This is not paying for a "cause" as far as I am concerned (someone further up pointed to the Texas floods and there are kids starving in Eritrea too, and there is MADD....and so on). It's just throwing some money at some guys who want to provide a circus that one may or may not value. In any case no one is forcing anyone to pay for Vaughters and his athlete salaries just like no one is forcing anyone to pay for New York Yankees to exist, but all kinds of people give the Yankees, Patriots, Real Madrid etc etc their money. It's just a different version of the same thing. There are no stadium seats that's all. You can give them a voluntary virtual stadium gate and in the process subsidize all the people who may watch for free. It's a free world. Those interested can choose to subsidize.

Honestly, $7M should not be "that much" to raise given the prominence of the team and the number of businessmen with deep pockets who ride and are fans of the sport. Having said that, rich guys are rich because they are super smart with their money, so if they do sponsor Cannondale, it is purely an expense to spend on a personal passion. Not some kind of "investment" unless they create a business plan to take the company to an exit (acquisition/IPO) by generating reoccurring sources of revenue that are not sponsorship dollars. I feel all these pro teams have an opportunity to diversity their $$$ inflow via other other means beyond sponsors. They seem to be stuck in an old school business model from back in 1960. Granted there are no box seats and gate receipts, but I feel there are ways to achieve a version of that. Pro teams are also stupid slaves to the organizers....in other leagues, the teams organize the league.

Uran didnt really provide much entertainment at the tour.
I have enjoyed watching Rolland in the giro and woods at the vuelta. But uran, definitely not.
Edit: I am crowdfunding this just to keep Rolland riding anyway.

Yeah, for guys like Kerry and any donors he'd be bringing on board, it'd be about the entertainment as well as the importance to them of having a team like Cannondal-Drapac that can bring more American prospects to the big tours.

A little tangential, and I'm pretty ignorant about all this, but how bad of an idea would a spending cap for the pro teams be? It seems to me that it would help even out the talent, put everyone on a level field with tech, and thus make the sport more entertaining. I don't really know though.

What about the stage into Chambery, basically locked into a fixie after the descent in a single gear and then taking the stage win. The guy earned his keep right there!!!!

I would love for Cannondale - Drapac to succeed - they're one of the biggest USA teams and it would be a shame if another international level team disappears. I think that would only leave Trek-Segafredo as US based World Tour team? And with two family members on the team (one rider and one DS) I really want them to meet their goals. Belkin was in the same boat a few years ago and luckily they pulled of a sponsorship deal with Lotto-Jumbo NL but quite frankly I'm not convinced Cannondale-Drapac is going to be that lucky.

The Globe and Mail had a nice article on Canadian Michael Woods. He was a top runner having set Canadian national junior records in the mile and 3,000 meters and also winning the 2005 Pan Am Junior Championships. He attended the University of Michigan on a track scholarship and after injuries, turned to cycling where he is now on the Cannondale-Drapac team.

We have a vested interest in Woods over here in Ottawa since he is from here and got into cycling thanks to some local tri guys who took him out in rat trap pedals and running shoes when he was injured.

Campaign now at $443K

Cannondale is my favorite team! I don't think that crowdfunding is the best either but I hope they get enough to make it through the next year so they can find some big money sponsors.

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We french still havent got over the fact that Aru did so much riding that day to bring the yellow Jersey back to Bardet. Bardet should have won that stage. So I cant bring myself to admit that this was a quite spectacular win by Uran that day.

I would like to Slipstream survive, and overall JV seems like a cool guy.
Though, a doper if I am not mistaken.
Pro cycling has an unsustainable financial structure. It needs to fundamentally change. Which means that ASO would need to give $ to others. They have the biggest $ maker(s) . But, I don't see them doing that.
The HTC team folded when they were at the very top. Compared to other sports, that would mean like the World Series winning team folded.
The business model just doesn't work.
A change to a league format with salary caps and shared income revenue might be more sustainable.

What is about Slipstream and JV that they are constantly merging/taken over every few years ?

The initial statement said a shortfall. 7m bucks looks like third or probably half the budget.

So what happens next year if they make the crowdfunding target ?

Yes I think cycling needs strong NA teams maybe time for some new ownership...

UCI should really be thinking about a salary cap as one team have a budget of €30m which is triple that of others

Hence buying up talented rides who would be GC leaders on other teams.

Long term the UCI need to give teams (more ?) TV revenue.

Maybe smaller teams/squads is another thing that should be considered.

Cycling and UCI could use some independent consults to look at all aspects like calendar income, revenue sharing sponsorship womans cycling etc etc.

Cookson doesn't really seem to have moved things forward.

I agree. And I think it needs to be a cap on the teams total salary spending, not individual salaries. When you cap the amount a team can spend on individual salaries, like the NBA does, you still end up with stacked teams (Warriors) and an ultimately less entertaining game. If the teams are all on a level playing field in how much they can spend on talent, they are free to distribute that however they see fit, and hopefully we'll end up with more exciting, entertaining tours. Entertainment is kind of the point at the end of the day, and a more entertaining sport will also bring more revenue.

As for the UCI and women's cycling, thats a whole other can of worms. They have a LONG way to go.

x2

Here's a crazy idea. Young riders get "drafted" and the draft picks are determined by the UCI points the team gathers in a year. Weakest team drafts first. So weaker teams who do proper scouting can build for the future.

Which brings it back full circle to revenue sharing from UCI/ASO/other organizers and a salary cap--'draft picks' have salary predetermined like in other NA sports--#1 pick is slotted for x salary, 2 is slotted at y and so on--leads to sustainability for more teams maybe??? Crazy maybe but current model doesn't seem to be working either so...

Is sky 3 times the budget of every other team? Is avg $10 mil for PT teams?

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