Professional cycling races have handed out some peculiar prizes over the years – from squealing Breton piglets awarded by the Tro-Bro Léon organisers and giant gold olives at last month’s Clásica Jaén, to unholy quantities of cheese and beer at any number of regional races across France and Belgium. But the adult-themed hamper given to Trek-Segafredo’s Ellen van Dijk following stage one of the Dutch Bloeizone Fryslân race surely must go down as one of the most bizarre.
World time trial champion van Dijk won this afternoon’s opening time trial stage of the Bloeizone Fryslân, a 2.1 ranked UCI stage race formerly known as the Healthy Ageing Tour, beating Riejanne Markus by seven seconds and Marlen Reusser by 25 seconds over the 14.4-kilometre course.
When the 35-year-old took to the podium, she was presented not only with the leader’s jersey but with a giftset from the race’s title sponsor EasyToys which included, among other things, a satin blindfold, Kama Sutra playing cards, a sex toy and so-called “play socks” (I don’t want to know).
Considering that her former rival Jolien D’Hoore was given a vacuum cleaner after winning the Ronde van Drenthe in 2015, it’s perhaps no surprise that van Dijk took to Twitter to joke that “prizes in women’s cycling are improving”:
The race’s sponsor EasyToys, it turns out, is an erotic website specialising in the kind of adult-themed products handed out during today’s podium celebrations.
Announcing its sponsorship of the race earlier this week, EasyToys said that they are “not only committed to the cycling race, but also to the social movement behind it.”
The company has tried its hand at sport sponsorship during the last few years, and was at the centre of a curling controversy over the winter when broadcasters in the United States and Japan refused to show an Olympic qualifying tournament as long as EasyToys’ logo was visible.
In 2020, they were also temporarily blocked by the Dutch Football Association from appearing on the kit of Eredivisie side FC Emmen, and promptly responded by arranging for a giant X-rated inflatable to greet fans outside the club’s stadium.
While the sponsor has divided fans in other sports, cycling followers, however, saw the lighter side of the race’s somewhat unorthodox partner:
On the other hand, fans didn’t see the funny side of today’s catastrophically organised time trial, which was marred by cars and commuter cyclists appearing on the course.
As the TT was partly run on a cycle lane, organisers appeared unable to prevent members of the public riding their bikes during the race, while one rider had to dodge a driver who ended up on the finishing straight. Another racer was lucky to avoid a van driver as they attempted to reverse into their driveway.
> Porn Pedallers Cycling Club lose British Cycling affiliation - because name falls foul of UCI regulations
The emergence of EasyToys on the women's pro racing scene is not the first time in recent years that cycling has crossed paths with the adult industry. In 2019 a cycling club made up of people involved in the adult entertainment industry was told by British Cycling that it could not be affiliated with the governing body because its name – Porn Pedallers Cycling Club – plus the activities of some of the businesses sponsoring it breached UCI rules.
The club – whose members raise money for the Terence Higgins Trust, a charity that campaigns on and provides services relating to HIV and sexual health – questioned whether the ban was justified, tweeting: “Cycling is for everyone. Except people like us.”
Oh, and who can forget Christmas 2019's essential stocking thriller, the O-Seat? Unfortunately we never did get one in for review...
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Amazing failure to mention sauna Diana, the Dutch team sponsored by a brothel that basically invented the team bus. From https://www.clubdiana.nl/en/about-club-diana/:
"In the early 80s sauna Diana sponsored the local cycling club. The founders of sauna Diana, Frans and Corrie Siemons, found it strange that riders before and after a cycling race often had no decent dressing and shower available. So an old English double-decker was bought. This was rebuilt so that the riders of the sauna Diana team could start the race relaxed and quickly refreshed afterwards.:
as its a 3 stage race, I look forward to what delightful prizes the sponsor picks for the winner next
Ah, those wacky Dutch...
van Dijk and Jolien D’Hoore; you made those names up to fit the story.
in the Bloeizone Fryslân you just have to suck it up and keep on riding
And the story was written by a man who has previously written about 'ball-centric sports'.
I probably should have took this one tbf.