Sir Bradley Wiggins adds new sponsor to cycling team ahead of start of Tour de France

Sir Bradley Wiggins’ cycling team ‘Wiggins’ has added Yellow Jersey Cycle Insurance (YJCI) to its growing list of sponsors ahead of the start of the Tour De France on Sunday (4 July).

YJCI is an insurance company that specialises in cycling, offering packages that cover theft, crash damage and liability. It already sponsors cycling including double Olympic Champion Laura Trott’s team, ‘Matrix Pro Cycling’.

The deal will see YJCI support the ‘Wiggins’ team should any of their equipment be damaged or stolen. It highlights the case in February last year when Team Sky had their bikes stolen and in 2013 when Team Garmin Sharp had to pull out of the Tour of the Mediterranean after their equipment was stolen.

YJCI managing director Ryan Geordanis says the deal will ensure Team Wiggins is “back on the road quickly should the worst happen”.

“YJCI is a good fit for us given the race centric nature of the product, their competitive focus and their genuine passion for cycling and we are looking forward to working with them,” says ‘Wiggins’ team manager Andrew McQuaid.

YJCI joins a growing list of sponsors all keen to associate themselves with the fast growing sport. Sky signed up at launch while other brands including Jaguar and Rapha have since come on board.

Wiggins set up his professional cycling team earlier this year as part of efforts to further boost the sport in the UK. Cycling is the second fastest growing participation sport in the UK, according to Sport England, boosted by the success of riders such as Wiggins, who was the first British man to win the Tour De France in 2012.

Cycling has also proved successful at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where Team GB took home 16 gold, 11 silver and seven bronze medal.

Last year, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky coach Sir David Brailsford spoke exclusively to Marketing Week about the rise of cycling.

He also spoke at the Festival of Marketing, a joint event run by Marketing Week and its sister publication Econsultancy which returns to Tobacco Dock in London on the 11 and 12 November this year – book tickets here.

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