Help With Sponsors

rtd131 said:

I am a teenager and am hoping to participate in the 24 hrs of Moab race next year. I was wondering, are sponsors something you need? If so , who do you ask and how do you approach them? Thanks 😕

You don't really need sponsors, but they sure do help with expenses. The best way to go about getting a sponsor is to talk to your local businesses. It would probably be better to start with your LBS or local fitness clubs, pretty much anything that would benifit from the "advertising" that you would be able to provide when wearing their colors while racing. You will also have certain obligations to your sponsors like entering a certain number of races or events each year, showing up at events that they are sponsoring, etc.

The biggest hurdle is that you are an unknown quantity to them, and a lot of companies are not eager to sponsor the back half of the peleton. What worked for me was being a good customer of my LBS. I got to know the owner fairly well and then asked his advise on amatuer racing. He gave me training tips and I was able to get him involved in my development. He saw that I had good potential for local events and offered to supply me with jerseys to start. As I got better and placed in the top 20's, he was onboard to help me with a little better equipment, eventually suppling me with a top of the line bike and I was giving him great exposure finishing in the top 5 in nearly every race.

Now all of this took place right at the beginning of the 1980's bike boom so there was a lot more attendance at the local Saturday morning races and sponsors did reap the rewards of getting their names out there. The economy was also doing better, which brings us to what will probably be your biggest hurdle right now. A lot of businesses don't have the funds available right now to sponsor a rider. I suggest that you ride without a sponsor and see how successful you are. If you get really good and are not shy about your success, the sponsors will come to you.