The Best Dressed Cyclists

It was 1992. My new self employed business was just off the ground and there was a definite order of priority for the start-up budget. Premises, furnishings, Vehicles, Staff, Equipment. I was able to fund such things with a loan from my parents and was understandably prudent and careful in sourcing and buying at such a crucial stage in the evolution of what would be my livelihood.

One item that I had not really allowed for but seemed to me to be a natural progression was to co-sponsor a cycle racing team.

The decision to do this was quite easy really. The hard part was to persuade my business partner that it would be good publicity with our logo being displayed prominently on the jerseys of the local team. I did not mention that this would typically be very early in the morning when no one other than the participants of a competitive race was up and about or at other anti social hours as the squad members trained as and when they could around jobs, studying and other commitments. I had, in my twenties been a racer and part of an earlier incarnation of the team that would take up the offer of sponsorship. It was the right thing to give something back to the sport that had kept me in peak fitness for my active years.

As they say, if you cannot do something any longer in person, then pay others to live out your dreams and glories for you instead. There followed from that initial outlay of just a few hundred pounds a 15 year association with Cottingham Coureurs Cycle Racing Team and this only ceased under the extreme financial constrictions in my business sector with the credit crash.

I have a great deal of pride and satisfaction in having supported my favourite sport at a local and regional level. The team excelled in competition on the road over those years and continue to do so to the present day. My involvement also extended to organising a few club road race events from putting out flag markers and signs on verges to dealing with the public amongst whom a few objected to their sunday morning drive-out to find a quiet spot to read the papers being disrupted by the convoy and entourage of a large field of riders. As a perk, from time to time, I got to hand out the prizes to those on the podium which included a few who had achieved great things at National, International and World level. It was serious stuff but nevertheless thrilling to drive a Service Car, laden with spare wheels or to ferry around Race Officials and Media types on the larger regional events.

I would like to pay tribute to one particular individual and his contribution to not only Cott Coureurs but also the local cycling scene, Pete Dunn the manager and motivator of the team. It is with great sadness that his bike shop is shortly to close as a consequence of the dominance of on line cycle dealers and cut throat pricing. I have spent many hours milling about in that wonderful oil infused environment of exotic frames and components mainly day dreaming about cycling rather than actually doing it.

Those fifteen glorious years have also given me a whole hanging rail of team jerseys bearing my company logo. As far as I can recall this is the full set ..................................................................

This is the original design from the first sponsorship.

The cerise is prominent being a trendy colour in the Pro-Team peleton on the continent.

Co sponsors included a local engineering firm.

I still wear this jersey out on the road.












This was followed by a change in the mid 1990's

My company was the main sponsor alongside Pete Dunn Framesets who provide the team issue bikes.

The cerise has mellowed a bit but is very effective against the refreshed yellow and blue.

Very much the winter long sleeved version.











The summer, aerated material is just the thing for warm weather riding.

A few more sponsors came along in subsequent seasons.

These were from large local companies but all with long time associations with the local cycling scene.

We were relegated to a sleeve and front panel position and happy to be part of a successful team.

Our business diversified a bit in the mid 2000's with Healthy Office, which investigated sick building syndrome, advised on disability access and the general function of buildings.

What was to be our penultimate sponsorship period was in the name of the Healthy Office spin-off Fugenex- a science led business working in a unique co-operative venture with the EPA in the United States.

The branding worked well with commercial interests and a couple of product lines.

The jersey really stood out in the peleton.








The final jersey was in the name of my new associated company, NT3 Commercial Agents. The only one I have is framed up and so I found this photo of some of the team on the start line of a race,

It has been a great ride. Thank you