Image 1 of 5 2012 Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins (Sky) with the winner's trophy. (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 2 of 5 The cover of the Cyclingnews sponsorship report on professional cycling (Image credit: Daniel Simms) Image 3 of 5 An info graphic from the Cyclingnews report (Image credit: Daniel Simms) Image 4 of 5 Bradley Wiggins leads his Sky team at Volta a Catalunya (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 5 of 5 Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) in Milan having secured the Giro d'Italia, the first man from Canada to do so (Image credit: AFP)

Cyclingnews has teamed up with sponsorship evaluation specialists Repucom to analyse the value of commercial sponsorship in professional cycling.

The 20-page report contains analysis and info graphics that detail the importance and impact of sponsorship for the leading teams and races in the sport.

The report reveals that the average media exposure per UCI WorldTour team is $88.4 million, representing significant returns for sponsors in pro cycling. With television coverage of professional cycling increasing as the sport captures new markets, total TV media exposure delivered is estimated to be worth $2.1 billion.

The Tour de France dominates the commercial value of cycling, accounting for nearly four fifths of many WorldTour team's annual exposure.

Team Sky’s success last year at the Tour de France generated over $550m of equivalent advertising value to its sponsors, over four times that of its nearest competitor.

The full report can be downloaded here.

The road ahead

Despite years of doping scandals and the impact of the global economic crisis, the value of professional cycling sponsorship remains strong. Few sports can offer the drama, return on investment and the close connection between a huge global participant base and the elite end of the sport. Our research shows fans of cycling are more engaged with brands in sport than other sporting audiences.

Professional cycling is now a global sport but national sponsors still dominate sponsorship. Those multi-national sponsors investing in professional cycling have benefited but great opportunities exist for multi-national brands to take advantage of the global visibility & engagement the sport offers.

Professional cycling is at a tipping point. The report's finding highlight the four key strategic factors which should be addressed for pro cycling to thrive, develop and attract new sponsorship from commercial companies.

To download the report, click here.

