pretzelface

For 2010, I'm leaving an established pro-am team/club to help build out the road racing program for a new team. It's primarily a MTB and CX group, with a lot of elite racers on knobby tires, but on the road side of things, we're pretty much all 4's and 5's.

I'm a cat 4, and while I recognize I may be giving up a lot in terms of the number of teammates I'll have around me and the guidance I might otherwise receive from higher-category racers, I think this group will be more fun. After all, I'm not planning on going pro anytime soon; my main goal is to start earning upgrade points.

Anyway, I've done what I can, recruiting my unattached friends and trying to get the mountain bike racers excited about road racing, but I was wondering if there's any key elements I'm missing. The head of the team seems open to letting us go after sponsorships somewhat independently, but I wouldn't know where to begin.

Advice? Suggestions? Comments or criticism? Anyone wanna sell me a cheap mountain bike?

zzzwillzzz

you seem to be on the right track. don't worry about sponsorship and money at this point, if you get some fine, but don't make that too important part of the team. you don't want anyone to join your team because of what they might get from the team. ride well and be a good team in all senses and it will be easier to get sponsors next year with an established team.

i was president of a club for a few years in the late 80s that was all 3s and 4s. the club went from 12 to 50 riders in that time as i focused on local riders who could train and race together and have fun. we purposely had no 1s and 2s so the what little money we had went back to us instead of giving it to them and then have them leave the next year for promises of more and better stuff from other teams.

there are those riders who switch teams every year because some new team is supposedly offering bikes, frames, $$$ and it never comes through or at 10% of what the rumors were. identify those riders and don't let them on your team they are never worth the hassle and constant complaining even if they have some talent as it will ruin the morale of everyone else.

pretzelface

Right now, the only sponsorship deals we have that aren't MTB specific are helmets and eyewear. It's not about the sponsorship at the level we're looking at on the road. Like I said, we're all 4's and 5's, and hopefully everyone is doing it for fun, not out of delusions of becoming an Elite Bike Racer, although we do have quite a few Elite Mountain Bike Racers.

To elaborate a little bit more, what I'm trying to put together on the road side, is a bunch of guys who love cycling, and love racing, and are going to do it for fun. The first one of us to get that 3 upgrade might have it rough for a while. It's a fun-oriented team, and I think it's going to be a blast.

nitropowered

Just keep it at that, to have fun. Don't worry too much about getting sponsors. Just get a kit drawn out and ordered, go race, have fun, rack up results.

Worry about sponsors in September-November

McTufferton

I just got done reading Psimet's thread on team politics. Take the time to read what's there. While it's not an instruction manual and might not answer your questions directly, if you can interpret what's being said, there's gold in there regarding starting a new team, how to approach it at first, what to offer / not offer, who to initially associate with / not associate with, the type of guys to recruit and why, etc.

Good luck with your team.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-Team-Politics

pretzelface

Thanks - that thread is actually what got me thinking about asking you guys for advice. I think the fact that, at least for now, we don't have any elite-level racers is going to be a big plus.

vjp

Remember,

"there's no I in team
but there's I in pie
there's an I in meat pie
soo I gonna go with meat is team
ahhhh.... I dont know"

from shaun of the dead

vjp