Can Kloden come back?

Lance wants on the podium…

Can Frank come back to the top five?

It’s Contador’s race to lose, with a 4’11second lead on Andy Schleck

Andy Schleck says Contador is beatable, he doesn’t know how, but he will certainly try to attack up the Ventoux on Saturday

Companies like SRAM enter sponsorship for various reasons, and ultimately those sponsorships are based on relationships with athletes and hopes that their successes, in the simplest terms, showcase our products. With five of the first six GC riders on SRAM at this years Tour is there a problem for us? Will it matter which SRAM athlete wins? Who is our favorite?

I have spent years of my life promoting, preaching, and pontificating about the benefits of SRAM road groups, particularly RED. The obvious benefits include being the lightest groupset in the world, its efficiencies, and its ergonomics. I have also preached to the subtleties including the dedicated brake lever, where braking with barely a finger halfway around the lever is possible. Shifting under load. Anyway, I digress…

The point is that we reach for the media spotlight like everyone else, moments to show what our components can do, why our componentry is the best. The Tour de France is the light that shines the upon cycling the brightest.

This years Tour de France is a perfect storm for SRAM, a problem some would say, as our athletes are immersed in an epic battle for the yellow jersey. According to media the battles go beyond the race and into the team buses. I’m pretty certain there isn’t too much truth to most of it.

There can be no favorites for a sponsor, ultimately the message after the success is the same. Perhaps a Lance win might mean more in the U.S., just like a Contador win might make him an even greater hero in Spain. But at SRAM that is not our concern. We are onsite at the Tour with staff enough to support our teams. That support comes in various forms: technical, marketing, PR, informational, and yes, emotional. We visit every one of our teams. And while the athletes remain focused on the task of riding they see us, they know we are there, and that we support our products and their efforts.

So while the media plays up the problems, internal battles, infighting, and the leadership struggles, the riders remain calm, we remain calm. The race is the race and the best rider wins. We will embrace the riders on our equipment as they cross the line. Having five guys on two teams fighting for the overall is a great thing, can only hope we have this happen every year.

So go Alberto, go Andy, go Frank, go Lance, go Andreas, in no particular order. And go every other rider on all of our SRAM-sponsored teams who have contributed to our success and has allowed us to contribute to theirs.

GO TEAM!