Mark Cavendish of Britain (C) crosses the finish line to win the 2011 road world championships in Copenhagen (AFP/Getty Images)
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When Britain’s
Mark Cavendish rode to his road world championship win in Denmark last
month he did so on a Specialized bicycle. In May, Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank)
did the same at the Giro d’Italia, having handed the California-based company
their first Tour de France victory last year.
The question is, do these high-profile triumphs
help sell bicycles? “No questions,” says Jay Townley, leading bicycle industry analyst and partner
in the Gluskin Townley Group. “In
the specialty bike world, at least in the United States, these victories do
matter.”
Townley
says there’s an enthusiast sub-culture of cyclists who are interested in
what the
pros ride, especially in high profile events, notably the Tour de
France. This is backed up by BMC Cycling, who reported to BikeRadar at this year’s Interbike show
that sales increased immediately after Cadel Evans took home the yellow jersey
in Paris.
Cadel Evans’ commemorative BMC at the Eurobike tradeshow
“It’s hard to track the sales
increases due to wins and athletes,” says Nick Sims of Specialized, adding
that it isn’t just victories that are important, but podium finishes and a good showing in general
on the road. “I can tell you, since we launched the Venge we’ve sold
To read the whole story, visit here: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/do-pro-cyclists-really-help-sell-bikes-32076
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