Teams and their kit

Professional cycling teams are funded by sponsors, who value the advertising and publicity gained from exposure to communications media during the racing season. There are numerous levels of sponsorship, from the main sponsor or sponsors, whose names will be most prominent on the team strip, to the nutritional products supplier, who will get the company logo displayed on a smaller space, perhaps on the sleeve of the team jersey.

Riders often have little choice which bike to ride

The team's bicycle supplier is of major importance, partly because the performance of the cycle impacts on racing success, and also because a successful team gives its cycle invaluable publicity.

In today's sport, major cycle manufacturers with huge financial and engineering resources dominate, largely because they can afford a greater contribution to the team budget than smaller manufacturers. In some cases, however, the team will receive no funding from the cycle supplier, even buying the frames if they are considered good enough.

The team bicycle sponsor may only supply frames and forks, with the groupsets coming from one of the three major concerns, Shimano, Campagnolo and, more recently, SRAM. Other component manufacturers may sign individual deals with one or more teams, and it is not unusual to see the same brand of bottle and cage, or handlebar and stem, on the bikes of more than one racing team. The same is true of clothing sponsors, with any one leading brand likely to make the team clothing for several teams.

Individual riders have little say on most of the equipment choices, although the top riders can insist on having a specially-made frame if the standard team-issue fare is not to their taste. Saddle selection is normally made from the range offered by the saddle sponsor, although again a top rider can insist on riding a saddle from a rival company, which in this case will be made unrecognisable. Shoe sponsorship is one area where the riders are often allowed to make individual deals, with manufacturers often making limited editions of the shoes worn by their most successful riders.

Teams will also have a tyre sponsor, who will have a range of products suitable for the various conditions found in pro bike racing. This will range from oversized tubulars for the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the super-light tubs that will be fitted for the Tour de France prologue time trial. It's a complicated world, and one where success is as valuable to the equipment supplier as to the team itself.