[Closed] TdF question.

Either the rider, I'd say I'm following BMC as Porte used to be a local where I was or sometimes they just have something going for them, the old Orica team seamed to have fun out there with plenty of attacks and solo's

The French dev team also for what it was trying to do

But mostly it's an individual who would always do something like Jens Voight or Tony Martin trying to solo massive stages or dragging an unsuspecting newbie along for a break

I guess I support Team Sky (I know it will be an unpopular choice based on the Froome doping comments) as I kind of see them as best representing our national interests (British based team, largest amount of british riders etc). I also like to see G go well - hopefully he can maintain form in the mountains. Other than that I like to see the Yates brothers going well.

But there isn't a particular loyalty there so would prob maintain an interest in British riders if they went to other teams.

Orica Scott Green Michelton Edge for me - although badly missing Jonesy and the Backstage Passes

I have a soft spot for French teams doing well on the tour, it's like seeing England be halfway decent at football - it's the most beloved sport in the nation but they're normally crap at it.

I've got shares in glaxo smithkline so I'm supporting SKY

Quick Step.

Though that’s historic bias really, from the old days of Boonan and the like. They're Belgian, I like that.

Also love the Dutch squads and Fortuneo Sm, primarily becuse all the above choose riders from thier own countries.

All time fave was Euskatel, becuse they just chose Basque or Spanish riders from the feeder team squad. Sadly no more, and the world of cycling is worse off for it IMO.

Don't support any teams, just individual riders for the reasons you alluded to. There is nothing to attract my allegiance other than a sponsors name. Also teams come and go so its not like there is a long standing history with any of them.

Riders over teams for me but Orica Scott backstage pass is always worth a watch on youtube (although I've not caught it yet this year so i may not even be a thing any more).

Not really. There are riders I particularly like to see do well but overall I just like to see good competition. That said, to my mind the teams providing that at the moment are Mitchelton Scott, AG2R and Quickstep.

I follow BMC,  out of habit as I was a massive fan of Cadel Evans

Do it on team kit.

Come on Mapei!

Mitchelton Scott for style, quickstep for national feeling and sky for sky for team skilz.  But in the end I always love seeing a great ride from anyone

I don't really follow teams, more the riders.

I like watching Sagan for the obvious reasons but get frustrated with Quintana as he always seems to filled with so much promise by the commentators, yet buggers it up.

Speaking of G, I'm not sure if he wants to be a leader or just wants the big bucks. He could quite easily walk away from Sky and be No.1 elsewhere, but he won't.

BMC for me plus whatever teams Sagan and Froome are with. It's about the individuals in my eyes, but I do like BMC bikes.

There are of course actual teams behind the branded names. When one branded name team vanishes and another appears it is often in reality just the headline sponsor of the team changing but pretty much everything else behind the scenes remaining the same.

It's an odd model for a sports team when the actual name of the team is completely anonymous the to public. Can you imagine it in football - all have a big sponsor and even a ground sponsor but you still think of the team by their actual name.

It's an interesting exercise to see if you can name the type of product each sponsor is involved in without using google. And then add up how many you could buy/consume as a UK based person on the street. Some of them are genuinely random - anyone remember Amore & Vita, a pro life anti abortion pressure group that sponsored a team in the 90's. Then ONCE (foundation for the Spanish blind)- I guess that worked in Spain as they had a lottery. But to the rest of us it was a quirky logo but quite cool kit. Then the minor sponsors - remember Spinazze who was a minor sponsor of Tinkoff Saxo? Sounds like the creators of cycle gym videos maybe? Nope, the manufacturers of prestressed concrete pillars for the vineyard industry in Italy. That is uber niche!

Doug Ellis lives in the village (when in the UK) and I used to teach his daughter so I guess I have a vague interest in Slipstream's teams over the years, currently badged Drapac Cannondale but previously Chipotle/Garmin Chipotle/Garmin/ Garmin-Sharp and others I now forget. No idea what Drapac do though and cba to google.

Are Festina still riding? Those boys definitely has "something" about them

I just like to see British riders do well, especially Cav, and I often see places i'd like to visit so I guess it doing it job really.

Yeah it's about the riders but support Sky I suppose.  Used to like Slipstream due to Millar and that's the only kit I own/ride in.

Still sticking up for these on the premise that its the jersey that appeals

It’s an interesting exercise to see if you can name the type of product each sponsor is involved in without using google. And then add up how many you could buy/consume as a UK based person on the street.

Well it is an international sport.

Yes I loved those Z-Peugeot jerseys. Ok and I swear it was Millar himself who breezed past when I was cycling near Taninges years ago, ponytail flapping in the wind. His not mine.

I have one of these:

and a TdF combine from 1989

Mind you I suppose I'm sartorially challenged as I quite like the AG2R kit, including the brown shorts.

Biggest fashion faux-pas in the TdF at the moment is overdosing on red spots. A spotty jumper is quite adequate.

Well it is an international sport.

Which is why I'm surprised so many of the sponsors are relatively 'domestic' and as a marketing exercise are only really appealing to an audience from a single or handful of countries despite the international audience.

Bar the bike manufacturer connections I know what ten of the following do. I have knowingly transacted with / own stuff from four.

Mitchelton-Scott
Team Sky
Movistar Team
Groupama-FDJ
BMC Racing Team
EF Education First-Drapac
UAE Team Emirates
Ag2r La Mondiale
Fortuneo-Samsic
Direct Energie
Lotto-Soudal
LottoNL-Jumbo
Cofidis, Solutions Credits
Team Sunweb
Team Dimension Data
Katusha-Alpecin
Bahrain-Merida
Trek-Segafredo
Astana Pro Team
Wanty-Groupe Gobert
Quick-Step Floors
Bora-Hansgrohe

I don't support a team per se, I like watching entertaining riders. I tend to buy team kit either when it's on sale very cheap or when the team is long gone and the stylishness of the jersey doesn't diminish (check prendas for good examples). The changing name of the team is geekily fascinating as well, I think one of the teams can trace the racing licence from today all the way back to the Renault team of the 50s60s (Groupama FDJ I think it is)

It’s an odd model for a sports team when the actual name of the team is completely anonymous the to public. Can you imagine it in football – all have a big sponsor and even a ground sponsor but you still think of the team by their actual name.

I'm sure if it was allowed it would be. RB Leipzig for example where they couldn't name the team Red Bull.

I have never thought of 'supporting' a pro tour team. I liked Sky when they first started and had a team of British riders. As they became the dominant force and brought in more big name foreign riders I found them harder to warm to. I now tend to keep an eye on the likes of Kennaugh, Cummings, Martin and the Yates'.

I tend to support teams that have British riders. G and Luke Rowe are local to me so Sky has more of my interest than any other team. But really I watch it for the scenery, and hopefully exciting racing whoever provides it.

I agree with many of the comments on here, especially those of mikewsmih and bikebuoy, but I also have to confess to sometimes being attracted or put off by he sponsor itself. So, for example, I like Cavendish, but Dimension Data holds no interest for me, so I don’t tend to care too much for the team. I like Wilier bikes, so I tend to watch Direct Energie.

 I like Cavendish, but Dimension Data holds no interest for me, so I don’t tend to care too much for the team.

Ah I did look up Dimension when they came on the scene and they did some of the good early analysis as a showcase for their BI stuff which was right up my work geekery 🙂

Which is why I’m surprised so many of the sponsors are relatively ‘domestic’ and as a marketing exercise are only really appealing to an audience from a single or handful of countries despite the international audience.

Sponsors seem dominated by the nations that take cycling seriously so rather than a mass global appeal it's for that market where it's much bigger than UK/US etc. Also it's still a much smaller sport than a lot even though it's on a world level so the smaller more interesting brands make it through

Don't really follow a team so tend to root for whoever is doing fun racing - team or individual.

One of the things that draws me to cycling over other sports is the lack of nationalism involved. Can't really fathom why you'd support a rider based on the flag they ride under.

Individual only for me....Dan Martin. Not the Team.

Quite a fan of QS. Not least because in cycling there are very few long-standing team names. And they are Belgian. And cycling is the National sport. FDJ are the French equivalent, and I guess the various “Lottos” have come and gone. But QS have been in it for the long haul. Their product isn’t bad either! (Unlike Team Sky)

Otherwise, it’s the rider.

Are Festina still riding?

Someone called 'time' on the team a while ago!

I don't follow a team as such but AG2R and QS seem to have very distinct team characters & racing styles so I guess I slightly "follow" them (sky does too but I don't like the corporation or its owner so I don't "support" them)

2 sponsor products that I've knowingly bought:

Sky - damn them for making it so convenient & good

Soudal - window cleaning spray !  Who knew ?  Bought their brand specficially because of the name (I hope it is the team sponsor)

It’s an odd model for a sports team when the actual name of the team is completely anonymous the to public.

Its no more odd than having teams named after a town or city fielding players and management from all over the world perhaps.

Its not that unusual to have teams named after their sponsor - or even events. Whats a bit weird is the name persisting after the sponsorship has ended. The Benneton F1 remained as 'Benneton' for a few years after it was taken over by Renault.

The 'Mercury Music Prize' still retains the name even though Mercury telecom vanished 20 years ago and has since been sponsored variously by Technics, Panasonic and Barclays  - but without using their names.

Interesting views, nice to have a little background as “to why” .... makes interesting reading.

The only “sponsor shirt” I’ve owned was the Cervelo Test Team Black/White logo one. Back when Carlos won the Tour, I thought at the time “great squad” and Millar would shoot off the front and solo for 80k before being hauled in with 1k to go.

That showed spirit to me, Carlos whilst not being the best all rounder was both very clever and good in the bumps. So I bought my fist S3 and a shirt, I thought I looked like a fat Carlos/Millar for the rest of that year.

I have never bought another team jersey, mostly because I think some of them a bit garish and I’m not a fan of some of the sponsors.

I have still got a Euskatel beanie that was thrown to me on the Angliuri (sp) by the team Swanny and I still wear it in the winter.

Its no more odd than having teams named after a town or city fielding players and management from all over the world perhaps.

That has got odder admittedly but the premise of that type of team is that the nucleous of the support was from that town or city (or expats that grew up in that town or city). Go back far enough and a good chunk of the players also came from that town or city too. It breaks down a bit now with the mega teams like Man U that have more 'fans' from Asia than they do from the North West of England.

In terms of kit I own that was for teams I was not part of - I had an Once long sleeve top because I was broke, it was cheap and it was brightly coloured for commuting to work in. I also had a smattering of Cervelo bits and bobs when I was racing a Cervelo (and they were the new boys in town and a bit cool and anti establishment). That's it I think. That Fagor top above still makes the inner 15yr old in me go a bit giddy. It represented ultimate cool to a bike obsessed teen with his freewheel catalogue and thirst for cycle knowledge.