What Rapha’s Canyon/SRAM Sponsorship Means for Women’s Cycling
When the Canyon/SRAM team was confirmed at the team launch at the Rapha Cycling Club in London last month, the women’s cycling community had a lot to cheer about. Ronny Lauke and Beth Duryea, previously of shuttered pro team Velocio-SRAM, will manage the project, overseeing an international roster of nine riders that will contest the UCI Women’s WorldTour from January 2016.
But with Canyon and SRAM previously linked to the team, the big news out of the launch was Rapha’s entry into UCI women’s cycling, which came on the tails of another seismic revelation: The popular apparel company recently announced its decision not to renew its partnership with Team Sky.
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“It feels like a lot of people were waiting for this,” said Ian Fleck, marketing manager at Rapha. “When we announced that the Team Sky partnership was coming to an end next year, which was naturally when the contract was due to run out, there was quite a lot of chatter on social. There were several comments from people saying that they hoped we would sponsor a women’s team. It was nice to have this partnership in the bag and know that we would soon be sharing the news.”
Women’s cycling is experiencing a period of substantial growth and interest. According to a 2013 League of American Bicyclists report, 60 percent of bike owners between the ages of 17 and 28 are women; the number of female cyclists grew 20 percent between 2002 and 2013, while the number of male cyclists declined 5 percent over the same period. Moreover, 2016 will be the first year of the Women's WorldTour, which will triple the number of races at the sport's highest level and, supporters hope, bring even more attention to women's cycling.
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Here's why the Rapha and Canyon/SRAM partnership is not only a major coup for the emerging squad but also part of a larger trend that will benefit all female cyclists.
1. The partnership will give Rapha room to make improvements to their women’s cycling line—and ultimately challenge other brands to do the same.
Canyon/SRAM will train and race in kit built upon the Souplesse range and sport casual clothing based upon the City Collection. The feedback the team can offer allows Rapha to develop higher-quality product for its female consumers.
“Working with a team like Canyon/SRAM helps us legitimize what we already know and elevate our women’s range even further,” Fleck says. “A lot trickles down from these partnerships. Canyon/SRAM will help us to ensure that the stuff we’re doing on women’s product is to the absolute highest standard.”
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2. The partnership will boost the profile of women’s racing.
Rapha has a loyal following, and the reaction to the team presentation on Friday was a clear indication that those who love the company are ready to embrace the newest Rapha team as its own.
“I did a Rapha Cycling Club ride in Seattle over the weekend,” says Chris DiStefano, communications director of Rapha North America. “It was with nine men, all over the age of 40. I make a little speech at the start of the ride—who I am, where I’m from—and then say: ‘Maybe you heard our big news yesterday?’ All nine guys nodded their heads. All nine guys lit up. It’s exciting to see this team enjoy this level of enthusiasm.”
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3. Canyon/SRAM is committed to offering unprecedented access to the team, and Rapha is committed to making the most of it.
As a result, fans can expect a steady flow of information about this new and exciting team. While a certain level of coverage and communication by women’s teams is becoming increasingly common, it’s still far from the norm in women’s cycling. This partnership is looking to change that.
“We explained to Rapha from the start what we explain to all our partners,” says Beth Duryea, who will handle communications for Canyon/SRAM. “We welcome companies coming to us, spending time with us. That access appeals to Rapha, and we’re all excited to see the images and videos and stories they can produce and share across the world.”
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If you, like us, are itching to get a peek at the Rapha-designed team kit, you’ll have to wait just a bit longer. Duryea told us that the date of the big unveil hasn’t been set, but called the design “brilliant—as you would expect only from Rapha.” DiStefano pointed to the green graphics coming out of the Rapha camp and the purple graphics on the Canyon/SRAM website as a hint of what’s to come. Fleck says, “It’s a bit different from stuff we’ve done before, but in an amazing way.”
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