“We have sadly raced our last race”: British cycling team who had 14 bikes stolen at Tour of Britain collapses, two months after overnight raid described as “absolute hammer blow to our over-achieving team on a stretched budget”

Capt Sisko wrote:

I know Inos, UAE and co. spend tens millions to create & maintain their squad of riders & the support team, but does anyone know what it costs to run a team like Lifeplus-Wahoo?

Difficult to say for sure, but when this team nearly folded in 2019 after Trek pulled out as title sponsor to move forward with their own team, Drops launched a crowdfunder to attempt to raise £250k which was stated as the amount required to replace revenue from a technical and title sponsor. Making some really big assumptions regarding organisations like this don't exist to make a profit (if they do much more than break even, they could/should have spent the money on winning more), and the fact that on top of title & technical sponsor, there will be other associated sponsors providing cash, clothing, equipment, vehicles, etc the it would be fair to assume a team at this level needs at least £500k per annum to keep going. Probably more as the riders at this level aren't paid enough and teams are always folding. 

Tbf the teams own press release stated it as a contributing factor, why would they mention it otherwise unless there was financial cost to the team ?

Probably because it was just another stress to management on top of the main factors.

There are two paragraphs about problems securing sufficient funding and the effect that's had on their morale and motivation, and then just a throwaway mention of the theft in a list of complaints at the end.

stonojnr wrote:

why would they mention it otherwise unless there was financial cost to the team ?

because mdavidford doesn't belive them.

Bob Varney has put years and many thousands of pounds into the team, they've had so many knockbacks and disappointments. I think that neither he nor Tom can see a future for it that doesn't necessite constant struggling, begging and making-do, and so decided that they've given it their best shot and be done with it. Such a shame for a team that brought a lot to the scene. I've followed them since their inception and it's such a shame that the team won't be continuing.

Simon E wrote:

because mdavidford doesn't belive them.

Not at all - I believe them, but it's not them that's playing it up as a major factor - it's road.cc.

mdavidford wrote:

Simon E wrote:

because mdavidford doesn't belive them.

Not at all - I believe them, but it's not them that's playing it up as a major factor - it's road.cc.

I imagine that the factor will be that they were paying for groupsets and finishing kit or similar and just receive frames from Ribble. Unlike WorldTour teams as well this team has to make do with their frames for several seasons just wrapping them for new paint schemes or sponsors

In their official closure post, they thanked Lifeplus, Wahoo and Maap for their sponsorship,help or assistance this season.

It's called a headline. Designed to attract attention/interest. Generally there has to be one on a news story. Other reasons for this team's sad demise are listed in the article.

Well if that's the only purpose, they may as well have put "Team collapses - was it due to MIND CONTROL by BILL GATES??"

I mean it doesn't matter if it accurately represents the story, as long as it gets clicks, right?

There is no way of preventing it. Park everything around your doors and you give them something to climb on and they peel back the roof of your vehicle. It's been done many times. There is no point is spending more than the bikes are worth to secure things when if someone wants them, they will take them. 

I've been at races where they have provided "security" but you'd trust them less than the thieves, so we've taken the motors and moved them elsewhere, sometimes we've slept in the truck/van/cars whatever overnight aswell, especially in rough places where the race has specifically told us there are people who will target the race.

well each bike was roughly £5,000 rrp, 14 of them is nearly £70,000, you can spend alot on security with £70,000. It might be awkward but why not store the bikes in the rooms with the riders ?

stonojnr wrote:

well each bike was roughly £5,000 rrp, 14 of them is nearly £70,000, you can spend alot on security with £70,000. It might be awkward but why not store the bikes in the rooms with the riders ?

Apart from the fact that - in my experience anyway, though chapeau to Travelodge for being an exception - hoteliers are pretty vehement about not letting one keep bikes in rooms, female riders (with no disrespect at all but these are often 50kg 150cm women) left two to a room with four bikes, wouldn't the filth who commit these crimes see that as pretty low-hanging fruit? It would just be putting the riders at risk.

Definitely agree ref Travelodge. I've stayed in the Battersea one a few times since the RideLondon start moved to Parliament Square. Nothing short of an exceptional welcome. They've had bad reviews because the place is a "bit tired" and "used by tradespeople" but every time, they've been welcoming with bike & luggage, to the point where the manager has opened the door to the back car park to make ingress easier and even offered a ground floor room once they know there's a bike coming in. Probably down to the local manager but would thoroughly recommend. I'm already booked in again for next May. 

then stick them all with the burly mechanics, or hire even burlier security folks to babysit them in a room for the night, you wouldnt leave a briefcase full of £70,000 in money sat outside in your car at a hotel at night would you ? why do we pretend  bikes are different somehow ?

and youd like to think on a race that helps organise which hotels the teams stay in, theyd arrange ones that are cool with bikes in rooms. as most hotels actually are if you ask them nicely, Ive never had an issue doing it as damned if Im leaving my bike in a van outside to have some git nick it

Rendel Harris wrote:

stonojnr wrote:

well each bike was roughly £5,000 rrp, 14 of them is nearly £70,000, you can spend alot on security with £70,000. It might be awkward but why not store the bikes in the rooms with the riders ?

Apart from the fact that - in my experience anyway, though chapeau to Travelodge for being an exception - hoteliers are pretty vehement about not letting one keep bikes in rooms, female riders (with no disrespect at all but these are often 50kg 150cm women) left two to a room with four bikes, wouldn't the filth who commit these crimes see that as pretty low-hanging fruit? It would just be putting the riders at risk.

I've never had an issue keeping my bike in my hotel room:

Permier Inn have a policy of allowing bikes in rooms.
Travelodge have always allowed my bike in the room.
Novotel were exceptionally helpful offering to keep it in a locked room if I'd prefer but were happy for me to keep it in my room.
The Hampton didn't say anything about the bike in my room when there was a problem and they had to move me to another room so I guess it was OK - I hadn't asked.
The only hotel that has been funny about it was The Moxy, the 2nd time I stayed there, but when I said they'd let me keep it in the room on the previous visit they allowed it.

My work sometimes involves meetings in hotels with meeting rooms. Most are happy for my bike (and sometimes a couple of colleagues' bikes) to be in the meeting room. One or two don't allow it but either have secure bike parking or will lock it in a store room.

Only one venue point blank refused to allow the bike in the building and inisted I park it in their wheelbender racks in the rain. When I said I'd just leave they finally relented and locked it in a first aid room in the basement. That was a football stadium, not a hotel. They were insistent that no other conference centre or hotel would allow bikes in the building and were surprised to be corrected on that.

I don't doubt your experience but you've been luckier than me, I reckon about 70% of hotels to whom I've made preliminary enquiries have said no bikes in rooms. That's UK hotels, never had a problem on the continent. That's useful to know that Premier Inn have a definite policy.

I'd add Ibis to the list of hotel chains where I've had no probs having my bike in my room.

Premier Inn literally used to do adverts with Team gb riders, and people with bikes in rooms for sportives or cycling holdiays, they've always been cool with it ime.

+1 for Premier Inn bikes in rooms (their breakfast offering is usually pretty good too!).

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/why/bike-friendly.html

I don't buy that. This has happened to world tour pro teams. Are you telling me they cannot afford decent security ? Smaller teams might struggle but the very top teams shouldn't be getting caught out.