Pro-cycling needs corporate assistance to achieve optimal athlete development for the global arena

When Dean Edwards, a former professional cyclist and the managing director of Sidewind Sports, a sport management company, returned from the international circuit in 2005, he began riding with an elite cycling club in Durban, and became very involved with helping the popular Team Abantu progress into a professional outfit.

Today, the team is under the management of Sidewind Sports and has won over 70 national races, two SA Junior Road Race titles, and the Elite SA Road title. Three of its riders Nolan Hoffman, Kellan Gouveris and David Maree are part of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games cycling squad, which will take place later this year. Edwards also manages Hoffman on the international racing circuit.

Despite other teams knocking on Hoffman's door, he remains committed to the continuity of Team Abantu, a testament to his character and loyalty to the bunch.

Surprisingly, though, corporates have been slow to offer Team Abantu the permanent sponsorship it sorely needs. Edwards believes that cycling sponsorship is a smart buy and an undervalued advertising opportunity.

"For one thing, the races are long - up to one week of three-to-five hour stages, which presents plenty of time for brand names to gain exposure from the event's television cameras. Secondly, the sport is global. During the Tour de France riders from about 135 different countries participated in the event, only top-tier soccer or the Olympic Games offer equal breadth in terms of brand exposure and media coverage. The UK, having invested millions of pounds into soccer, rugby and cricket, have not garnered the return on investment that was envisaged and they are investing in cycling, namely Team Sky, because they have realised the phenomenal and unprecedented return that the sport affords them. For this reason, the Yorkshire County has invested £10m into one and a half days of the 2014 Tour De France. Fans of professional cycling are significantly more engaged with its sponsors than are other sports fans. This is likely to be because fans of cycling view sponsors as benefactors of their sport, given their importance. Compared with general consumers, cycling fans are twice as likely to actively inform themselves about a sponsor's brand."

With the minimal support and resources in cycling 10 years ago, Edwards was often left to fend for himself at major international competitions. It was here where he learnt how a professional athlete needs to be managed and marketed, and saw how his international opponents were receiving the infrastructure and resources they needed to flourish.

But with the three major sports - soccer, cricket, and rugby - monopolising much of the financial backing from sponsors, media airwaves and ticket sales in this country in recent years, other sports, including cycling, continue to struggle to run professional set-ups and provide solid development platforms and high-performance programmes.

Development for previously disadvantaged youth in professional cycling via organisations such as the Velokhaya Life Cycling Academy, which has produced the likes of Luthando Kaka and Songezo Jim also receives sparse financial support, a missed opportunity for the creation of employment in a country that needs every job opportunity given its staggering unemployment rate.

This lack of corporate interest in their passion is particularly frustrating for local professional cycling teams such as Team Abantu, as cycling's appeal is broader than ever before, and title sponsorship creates unique opportunities to promoters concerned about brand clutter in sport.

Nonetheless, associations are making it work with what they have. For example, Cycling SA is making strides in its attempt to establish the country among the global elite, having hosted the 2010 BMX World Championships and the annual UCI MTB Masters World Championships in 2013.

The Mzansi Tour is the only UCI-graded road cycling stage race in Southern Africa and five out of eight invited top international cycling teams have confirmed they will be taking part in the 2014 Mzansi from 8 to12 April.

On the bike, Daryl Impey and Chris Froome continue to pave new ground for African cycling, which was pioneered by Robbie Hunter who was the first South African to win in a stage in the Tour de France, shining for international trade outfits after laying their foundations at home.

Team Abantu's sprinting sensation, Hoffman, has competed in numerous international events and finished fifth in the UCI World Championships Scratch Race in February this year. He also claimed the men's elite title for the Cape Argus 2014 earlier this month and took home the silver medal at the World Track Champs in Melbourne in 2012.

The golden finishes of stars such as Hoffman have helped the nation fall in love with the sport. The community tunes in to watch these professionals cross the finish line and without their involvement in these major events, it remains questionable whether ordinary citizens would be as captivated without the excitement that professionals bring to the track.

Although Team Abantu has been unable to find a corporate sponsor, relying mainly on private short-term contributions from Edwards himself, Mthunzi Mdwaba of Tzoro IBC as well as Roberto Gnudi of Panda Sportswear, it has been able to keep its wheels turning - albeit at the expense of resources that could be put to better use on the track preparing for events and refining their skills.

With a sponsored financial package at the team's disposal, they would be able to focus 100 percent of their efforts on training, with the possibility of achieving the best results at international and local events. Indeed, Hoffman finished in fifth place at the UCI Track World Championships, spending months at a time travelling the world with minimal or sometimes no support staff.

Team MTN Qhubeka p/b Samsung's recent acceptance to participate in the 2014 Vuelta a España, the 69th edition of Spain's most prestigious race is testament to the capability of local cycling teams and the talent among our riders when there is sufficient funding. Their first time participation demonstrates how with corporate support and commitment to the team, the unit has been able to grow and prosper.

Edwards comments, "The Vuelta a España is one of the world's three Grand Tours and the epitome of professional cycling. It is indicative of where cycling can take a brand such as MTN and its team, who once like Team Abantu started from humble beginnings as a domestic team but now compete on the world stage in front of one of the biggest sporting audiences globally."

Edwards concludes, "Sponsorship supports teams and pays riders' incomes. In return, it turns its riders into cycling billboards. Coverage leads to sponsorship, which leads to growth and then more coverage. Take away that exposure and sponsors drop out, the money dries up and coverage disappears."

For the future of South African cycling, optimal athlete development can occur only by improving the sport environment and committing to a rational remuneration system that will bring out the best in our competitors.