Cycling body seeks funds

British Cycling, UK cycling’s governing body, is seeking a sponsor for the first time for its Olympic-hopeful Team GB cycling team.

The body has signed Sponsorship Media – the sponsorship agency recently taken over by Havas Sports – after a competitive pitch against three un-named agencies to come up with packages.

British Cycling hopes to raise more than £1m from sponsorship and is offering team-naming rights and access to athletes as part of packages.

The London-based agency has been tasked with structuring sponsorship packages for all teams under the British Cycling banner, including BMX, Cycle Speedway, Cyclo-Cross, Mountain Bike, Road and Track racing.

Simon Lillistone, commercial and marketing manager of British Cycling, says the body has three main properties: GB cycling team; Go-Ride, a schools coaching programme, currently sponsored by Tesco; and Every Day Cycling, an initiative to get more people cycling.

Team GB, British cycling’s flagship team, is ranked number one in the world and recently won seven gold medals at the World Track Championships. It is now gearing up for the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics.

Peter King, chief executive of British Cycling, says: "We are looking for partners who want to make contribution to British Medal success in Beijing in 2008, London 2012 and beyond, while making a significant contribution to the active-nation debate – getting more young people, families and adults of all ages and abilities to ride their bikes."