7 Sponsorship Lessons From a Bottom-Rung Pro Who Works in Marketing

Much has been written about this, but there's always more to learn

Sponsorship, depending on who you ask, is getting a 10% discount at a local shop, paying for entry to a “sponsorship” (loyalty) program, or, on the far end of the spectrum, receiving a few Lamborghinis in exchange for an Instagram post every once in a while.

I sit somewhere toward the lower end of the spectrum: a bit higher than a local “pro,” but approximately 15 million Euros away from Pogacar’s supposed 15 million Euro yearly check from his team and private deals.

A lot has been written about this topic by the likes of

Joe Laverick

, but I want to chime in after having had conversations recently with three different athletes interested in going off on their own, finding their own sponsors, and doing what (sigh), we call being a “privateer.”

So, here are a few things I’ve learned from my experience as an athlete and a marketing professional, in no particular order:

Results can get you in the door, but they won’t keep you there.

I’m a pretty average cyclist when compared to other pros. However, results are not magic bullets when it comes to sponsorship. That’s the only reason I’m able to get the support I have. I’m nowhere near “good” enough as a person pedaling a bike to warrant my support. Results can get eyes on you, but they can’t directly help brands alone.

Think of it this way: if you’re racing in the gravel scene, unless you are winning everything or have a media team following you, you need to work to share your stories and bring people inside races and life as a pro. 14th at Unbound 200 is mightily impressive in my book as an avid follower of the sport. I can understand how hard that would be to achieve, because I’ve raced against top riders and never even come close to that. However, does anyone normally really care or remember that? Does anyone really care who got third at a random ultra race in Spain called Badlands? No. Most people, even in the cycling world, have no clue what that race even is.

What if you were to share how you made the lead group, crashed, bonked, managed to dig deep and keep chasing back, and ended up 14th? That’s more compelling. Humans value emotional connection over numbers. We are socialable people (even those of us who hate traditional modern socialization). Results are impressive, but what people, and in turn, brands, want to see are real human stories.

Don’t rest on your numerical laurels. Learn to share your story in a genuine way. Learn to connect with others. For me, writing is my favorite outlet to do this. For others, it could be TikTok dances. Find your way: one that you love and want to engage in because it’s fun.

You work in marketing, and pedaling a bike fast is only (barely) one marketing pillar.

Related to number one, your job is as a marketer. Just as I am embedded in this industry in my real job, I’m a part of it in my racing as well. As an athlete, you are one pillar of a larger marketing strategy your partners have. This may include ads, social media, email marketing, SMS, and more. You are one way they can communicate with customers.

Within the brand ambassador or athlete pillar, you have a few ways to market the brand, and riding a bike fast is only one of them. It’s a tool, just as having a large social media following is only beneficial if you are actively posting and engaging with people on it.

Sponsorship work should not be a chore.

If you do it right, providing return for your sponsors should be fun. You get to connect with other riders. You get to help inspire the next generation or those new to the sport. This position is something you shouldn’t take for granted. It’s a passion-based platform for good that many would love to have. Use it wisely.

If you are finding the work a chore, then maybe you are not working with the right brands. You should feel proud to represent the companies you work with. They should align with your mission as an athlete and your personal values. If they do not, then you’ll end up in a situation no different from a person in a job they hate.

There is no better feeling than taking the time to interact with someone on a ride or answer their questions on social media, and then getting a message a few weeks later about how they tried what you had mentioned in an event or on a ride, and it really worked, or how the adventure you shared inspired them. Maybe this sounds corny, but that really is rewarding. Beyond the numbers of reach and engagement, this is a human metric. It’s one you can feel and smile about.

If you want cash, look outside the bike industry.

$2000 in product is cheaper than $2000 in cash. How is that possible?

Think of it this way: the $2000 MSRP costs a brand only a fraction of that, depending on the market, their chosen margin, the quantity they are having manufactured at a time, and numerous other factors. $2000 in cash is $2000 less they have to spend on staff, other marketing efforts, product development, and more.

Asking bike industry brands for large sums of cash, especially at this challenging time, can be an uphill battle. If you do, you’d better have a very clear plan to show that you will be worth that investment.

For brands outside the cycling space, margins can be higher, the current economic situation may be less taxing, and overall profits can reach a point at which sums of money that seem large for most brands in the bike industry are simply rounding errors for non-cycling sponsors.

It can be hard to decipher how best to provide a return on investment for a non-endemic partner. Say, for example, a law firm decides to sponsor you. In many cases, they might do so because one of their executives is simply passionate about cycling. In others, they may want a real return on investment. One way to approach this is by thinking beyond expanding their reach to providing value to their current clients and their staff. For example, you can do VIP rides with their clients or talks about your races and experience as a pro. Likewise, you could provide guidance and mentorship to employees if the company is trying to make a cultural shift toward healthier lifestyles or is supporting a charity bike ride. You don’t have to be Pogacar to provide this sort of value to companies.

Put yourself out there. The worst they can say is no.

If you wait for sponsors to come to you, you might be waiting a while. For riders like me, sponsors aren’t hunting you down. To get what you’re after, you need to put yourself out there.

Don’t be afraid to ask connections if they’d be willing to share their contact at X or Y companies. The worst they can say is no. Don’t shy away from sending a well-thought-out email and athlete deck to a company you really want to work with. Don’t be afraid to keep putting yourself in front of them throughout the season. Early is better than late. Don’t annoy them, but show them you really want to work with them. Relationships are never formed in one email.

Imagine if, in the “real” world, you only applied to companies you knew were going to accept you. That sounds absurd, right? Sponsorship is no different. You might get a lot of “no’s,” but you have to try. You won’t know until you ask.

Putting yourself out in the world also extends to media and representing current sponsors. Don’t be afraid to go on podcasts. Make connections with members of the media. How did I end up on the Roadman Podcast? I reached out after Badlands since we were both at the race and mentioned how it might be cool to share my perspective versus Anthony and Sarah’s perspectives, since we had very different ones and approached the race from two unique angles. How did BikeRadar end up writing an article about my drop bar hardtail? It wasn’t because I’m fast or notable. I had been connected with Jack Luke, one of their tech editors, about another completely different topic, and I off-handedly mentioned my setup for Unbound XL. He was fascinated, said he wanted to write an article on it and record a podcast, and we were off.

Don’t underestimate your value and be willing to negotiate, but “don’t take the piss.”

You have value. I don’t just mean to your family or friends. I mean the companies you want to work with. If you are working hard to represent them, you deserve to be supported fairly in return for that. Brands will naturally want to pay you as little as possible. This is not the “fault” of a brand or employee. It’s a societal and economic one. They only have limited money, and every person at that company is tasked with trying to do too much with too little.

Saying “I’ll take whatever I can get” means they will offer you the low end of your worth. If you ask for a specific amount, but you know it’s on the low end, they will accept immediately, knowing they got a good deal.

I am a very small fish in a very large pond, but I’ve learned that you have to be willing to negotiate. Start on the high side. Not so high so that it seems like you are just taking the piss and are completely unaware of your value and the current market, but don’t sell yourself short. You can always negotiate down to a middle ground.

This is the same as in the normal working world. My roommate is excellent at advocating for herself. Her father comes from a generation that was taught to simply take what was offered. When he started a new role last year, the benefits, including paid time off, were laughably low for someone of his seniority and experience. She told him to negotiate. He was worried they wouldn’t be happy with his asking. Finally, he agreed to ask, and what do you know? They immediately agreed to provide what he was requesting.

If they really want you, and you really want to work with them, you can find a common ground.

Everything you learn through this process will serve you well later

I am going to sound old saying this, but the life lessons you will learn through navigating the sponsorship process will be some of the best education you receive. Every interaction you have, connection you add to your network, and challenging negotiation you face is a chance to learn and grow. Each represents a microcosm of our broader society. Cycling is a bubble, but it’s also an ecosystem that operates in much the same way as every other industry.

Your athlete deck is like a resumé. Your initial email to a sponsor is like a cover letter. Asking for an introduction to a new company from a friend is no different than asking that same question of a friend when you’re looking for a “real” job. Representing a company and finding ways to provide them value is no different than learning how best to operate within a traditional job’s confines. What is efficient, effective, and meaningful? As a marketer in my day job, every single step I take in cycling directly ties in with my career progression. Every contact I make at a bike company is a fellow marketer and a connection to have in my pocket for the future, should I be looking for a job. Every decision I make as an athlete representing my partners teaches me something I can take into my marketing role.

Because of what I’ve done in building my own program, I’ve become more confident as a person. I’m less afraid of taking risks and putting myself out there. My time on a development cycling team helped teach me to be a better athlete in the physical sense, but it did not teach me the business side. It did not bring with it this new level of self-belief.

If others ever say “you’re wasting your time racing bikes,” tell them what I just told you. Learning by doing is hard, but it’s one of the most impactful forms of education you will have. The learnings taken from doing something hard, be it on the bike, on the phone with a sponsor, or in a real career, will stick with you more than something taken from a book. You will make mistakes and probably fail a lot, but it’s all worth it, as cheesy as that sounds.

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Ever have questions about this topic? Feel free to reach out on Instagram! I really enjoy chatting about it, and it has been very rewarding this year helping others start their own programs.