Bradley Wiggins considering backing his own women's team (+ video)

according to notfastenough's post . If all the mens teams dropped one rider,they could all operate a womens team each? well that could work ? What do you think ?

Cheers for the links Simon - this is from a Dani King article on onthedrops:

"According to Ernst & Young in its report on the economic situation of the professional peloton, the total budget for the 40 men’s pro teams in 2012 has risen to €321 million for the 40 Professional teams, an increase of 36.5 per cent in just 3 years. The average Pro Tour male salary now sits at €255,000. In stark contrast, a vast majority of the 37 professionally registered women’s teams have a total budget of less than €255,000, meaning they operate an entire team for less than the average salary of the male Pro Tour professional."

Wow. That's not good.

Why is funding a women's team so difficult?

ROI.

Until the media - which includes road-oriented websites that feature racing [cough], mention no names [cough] - start reporting the sport more thoroughly then no-one is going to want to sink money into a women's team. How are we supposed to know when the Giro Donne happens? Answer: July. And how can a team like Mulebar Girls get any publicity or support when no-one knows they exist?

For anyone wanting to follow women's racing they will find that unearthing content or race ifno on CN is hard work, the Comic is even worse, but the following are good places to start.
Matrix-Prendas team are typing furiously in an attempt to get noticed: http://www.onthedrops.cc/
Also http://www.podiumcafe.com/section/womens-cycling
Twitter: @ds_stef, @HelenCX, @_Pigeons_, @cyclopunk and more.

A recent article on the subject:
http://www.andbike.cc/when-cycling-came-to-britain-part-iii-women/

Of course, depth of talent/finding talent is another thing. Events need women's races but in turn those races also need entrants. I don't know what British Cycling is doing to encourage more women into cycle sport after the incredibly successful Olympics we've had, which suggests it may not be much. And when BC reported soaring membership figures, how many were women?

Rider blogs are only a small part of the picture. The Smithfield Nocturne women's race nearly didn't happen and the organiser of this Saturday's Newport Nocturne near Telford in Shropshire had appealled for female riders to enter and now has 47 entries. It is the job of the big players - federations, teams, event organisers etc - to attract riders and help bring them to the notice of spectators and readers.

Im deep £50 may stretch to £100, who's in charge then?

They will all have to grow sideburns.

JonD - thanks for that bit of information it explains a bit why the media ignores women's football. Where is the female version of Match of the Day for example?

>Likewise, look at the big football clubs in the UK, how many of them have womens teams?

Women's football took off (again) during WW1 - munitions factories had women's teams. In 1921 the FA banned women's teams from using FA league grounds -if they hadn't, the situation may have been somewhat different.

Err Green Edge do have a womens team.

I'd drop £50 on that.

Well done Bradley

If (relatively small) Cervelo could run a women's team for a few years alongside their pro mens squad surely there's a British based sponsor that would derive marketing benefit from sponsorship of a UK women's team - the likes of Lizzie Armistead and Emma Pooley (and those destined to follow them) deserve better than the existing hand to mouth nature of funding for women's road racing. It's about time that Pat and the boys at the UCI did more development work on women's racing in Europe & North America and other countries with a culture of cycling to support it.

If SKY/BC could pull together a business plan surely sponsors would follow? at least as media moguls Sky could do more to publicise wormen's racing on TV. As for a fan funded cycle team I'm in with £50 per annum - just need another 8,999 contributors.

As much as I dislike the dopers, I wish I'd have been there in the airport to fish it straight back out again!

Good stuff from Wiggo, he's gone up still further in my estimation and seems a thoroughly decent cove.

It's also to his credit that he's not commented on the cycling story of the week. He wasn't there, so why should he?

Hmmm, not a word from Wiggins on the Story of the week though.

thanks drheaton, I hear what you're saying it would be a big challenge, but not an insurmountable one I think.

I have disagree with you on one point. Last years womens' world champs road race was awful; quite possibly the worst race I have ever seen. However, the Olympic road race was fantastic.

Also, check out

http://www.supporters-direct.org/

which has plenty of support for getting a football/rugby co-op off the ground.

Here’s a thought. In the world of pro sports. £450k for a full year’s sponsorship really isn’t very much. Surely we can find 50k people willing to donate a tenner a year (or even just 5k people to donate 100quid) to be part owner of a mutually funded cycle team?

I think I may genuinely look into this. I’ll just need to find someone with a background in mutual society, co-op or even charity law that could advise if this were possible.

Try telling you current employers Bradley. Its a disgrace that a team as big as Sky doesnt have a womens team, they want to be ashemed of themselves.