A GamJams.net Racing Team?

I'm thinking about starting a GamJams.net Racing Team.

There are a couple of reasons for this. The most significant is that almost every cycling company I've spoken to about sponsoring GamJams.net is interested in a program where their equipment is out there under racers. Without that aspect, all I have to offer them is advertising. Which they'll take, and are happy to pay me $1 for every time I get a thousand of you to visit GamJams.net. You don't need to be Flamenco Chuckwagon to realize that those economics aren't sustainable.

So to make any real money here, I need a team.

But to be true to GamJams.net's mission of cooperating with, and not competing against, all of the established teams in the region, I have to approach the team concept differently.

So here's what I've come up with:

The GamJams.net Development Team

• The team consists of first-year and developing racers only. Think Cat 5s and women Cat 4s. (Not juniors - too many established Jrs programs out there, and the training of them is very different. I can't specialize like that.)
• Racers have a one-year contract with GamJams.net, after which they must leave the team and are encouraged to join one of the established clubs in the region.
• What they'll focus on while with GamJams.net is not winning by themselves (which is what most Cat 5s are left to figure out), but how to work as a team for team objectives. Because there's no BAR points in Cat 5, the objective should be racing experience, not results success. My objective would be to 'graduate' racers out of the program with a year's worth of experience in working with teammates, learning to offer assistance in races, and learning to accept it as well.
• Because the engagement is only one year, I'm hoping that other teams will take an interest in helping develop these racers along the way, with the hopes that they'll come on board to their squads after their year with GamJams.net. Suddenly, Cat 5s with some skills gaps are appealing prospects, not social pariahs.
• The team is akin to a Farm Team for the established squads, giving current teams a chance to get to know racers while they are building team skills, and allowing new racers to get to know each of the clubs in turn. At the end of the year, both the new racers and the clubs are better informed about who is a good fit with whom. And when they come on board, they've already established a team orientation and some of the skills to back it up.
• The advantage to new racers is that they're part of a team where they are the focus, not an afterthought.

Every sponsor I've talked to is very interested in seeing the number of competitive cyclists in the country increase - it means a larger market for them. What remains to be seen is if they'll put next year's budget where their long-term objective is, if it means choosing to sponsor a team of Cat 5s instead of an elite squad somewhere.

But racing for GamJams.net wouldn't be these riders' only obligation. In addition to their on-bike commitments, each would also be required to keep a racing and training journal online (a blog, like all the ones I link to, that you all read), or bring a digital camera to each event and create a photo gallery every weekend they race. Ask anyone whose blog I link to - create some interesting content and it's instant traffic. Sponsors choose elite athletes because of the media they receive if they win. Sponsors who align with GamJams.net's squad of prolific Cat 5s benefit from the media the racers create themselves.

And here's where I think it gets interesting. After a year, these racers on X Company's bike and Y Company's wheels are picked up by this team or that team, taking their sponsor-provided equipment with them. Suddenly, instead of a team ride with the dozen guys the sponsor has already reached, they're surrounded by 50 or 60 new teammates the sponsor hasn't yet reached. They graduate from GamJams.net but remain Ambassadors within their new teams.

I'd love to hear some input on this:

• Is it an irresistible vision, or a pipe dream?
• Would your team consider a squad of Cat 5s as a potential farm team, or is GamJams.net a competitor for new talent even at the Cat 5 level?
• Would you personally join group rides to get to know these folks, see if they're a good match, offer your insight and experience informally, or more formally as a mentor?
• What else could I do to make the program more appealing to new racers? To existing teams? To sponsors?
• Does this still allow room for GamJams.net to be everybody's neutral support, or would you perceive it becoming biased and less useful for the racing community in general?
• Do you know anyone who would be interested?

Leave any feedback in the comments, or via email. 

Comments

[Jesse]

Great idea mike. Just like development for pro teams I think the idea of a development team that focuses on new racers will only make the MABRA region, and its teams better.

Jesse

[Rob]

WONDERFUL idea. As a CatV, though I knew the team I wanted to join right away, I would have strongly considered a team like this for my first year.

[CW]

OK, I was looking for something like this last year. How's the relationship going to change with really good (so, not me) Cat 5s when they move on. ...will sponsors follow riders or stick with the dev team?

[Jim]

Isn't that sort of Artemis' mission statement? That's my perception anyhow. I don't know if that's sustainable as a business model. You have one bad year, everybody is gone, nobody wears the jersey. Obligatory Cat IV / V joke - who's going to sponsor you? Tegaderm? It might work.

I know, enough of the negative vibes, Moriarty...

Another possibility would be Everybody's Second Favorite Team. Encourage racers of all levels and newbies to join, have a weekly skills ride - strong riders encouraged to take time and work with newbies and non-newb riders who could get a clue, have regular bike & brews and charity rides, get the members out leading Tit rides (Team in Training, pigs... Team in Training) and doing charity centuries together. Make it the neutral start to racing careers - hell, have other clubs do the rides in their own kit and use it as a recruitment tool. "You're married to your regular club... consider us your non-judgmental bit on the side." That's what I'd do, anyhow. Mondays and Fridays would be ideal, since everybody chills on Monday, and warms up for the weekend on Friday.

I would probably buy a jersey and do something like that *once in a while,* but I feel a lot of loyalty to my own club's sponsors and wouldn't exactly push it really hard. They pay a s_-_load of money to purchase my wide rolling billboard butt, and it behooves me to wear their kit unless I want to pay another $150 a year (or something like that, just a SWAG) in membership dues.

[burt hoovis]

Not sure that starting a team is the best way to encourage participation in cycling.

Why not sponsor a training race or time trial series (e.g., in the spring) catering to lower category riders...?

[Greg]

the idea for this team is clearly well intentioned, I see some potential shortcomings.

leaving the large assumption that novice riders will be able to implement team strategies aside, I wonder what the real motivation to work together will be? Cat5's race for themselves even when they are on an established squad because there are so many of them and the racing lacks tactical depth. The strongest riders have to work for themselves whie the weaker ones are just learning to survive.

Knowing that you will only be on the team for one year may not allow riders to build the comraderie really needed to work as a unit. Plus, when riders start looking for other teams to join - why are they going to want to help the current team mate who is going to ride for a different team soon. Thought this point may be mooted by my next.

If the riders on the squad become friends (which is more than likely in any team) they will have motivation to help eachother, but they will also have motivation to stay together the next season. In effect, the team will not become an all-purpose feeder team for the district - but more of a feeder for one team. Odds are it will be whichever team is willing to recruit talent at the novice level - and lets be honest, we don't need anything that makes us take our hobby any more seriously.

IMHO, i have a hard time seeing a team like this being sustainable year to year and it actually is in conflict with the goals of many of the established teams who focus a lot on development.

what exactly would the conflcit would be in starting a new independent team? If the website stays balanced, then another team is healthy for the district and. i mean, cyclingnews.com sponsors a pro team, but it doesn't detract from their coverage of races.

[Chuck Wagon]

Solid concept. Enlist BJ as a coaching mentor and make it easy and less intimidating for people to get started in racing.

Lot of valid points in the comments above.

[Mike May]

Tons of great feedback here, as well as by email. Most of the emails echoed some of the sentiments here, namely that it's an idea worth exploring, but not without its challenges.

Burt - I don't think the team itself will turn recreational riders into racers. But I'd also schedule team / group rides that cater to developing cyclists, giving those on the fence a non-threatening environment to get to know racers and racing situations. But where I see the team being more useful is in suppressing attrition. I bet we lose a lot of Cat 5s and 4s who focus on individual results and get frustrated. But being a part of a solid team can yield some gratification even for guys who routinely finish 30th, if they can still play a role in a team presence. And I like your idea of sponsoring an event or series - I'd love to be in a position to sponsor Cat 5 and Cat 4 races all season long. Of course, I'll need sponsor support to do that, which brings us back to the team concept and trying to make it work.

Jim, your point is well-taken. Finding sponsors will be the hard part, to be certain. Not because the value to them is suspect - I think lower category racers are a much better market to cycling companies than elite racers. How many elites do you know who choose - much less pay full retail for - their own bikes and equipment? They mostly ride team issue, and there's a lot fewer of them than there are Cat 4s and 5s. But the change in mindset - from podium-generated-press to rider-created-media - is one that will probably take the longest to sell in. Some of the companies I've spoken to already get it, but most are still focused on "victory = value." Slipstream is going to help me out tons here (have you noticed that most of the new guys they've drafted are bloggers?). As for your loyalty to your own club, I've got a sister program to the team that takes advantage of that while at the same time rewards you for the media you create that GamJams.net readers enjoy. Stay tuned for details.

Greg, you're right - one year isn't enough to gel. I got an email from a reader to the same effect, and he suggested that the tenure be increased to 2-3 years. I think that's right, and that if the focus is on Novice or Developing riders, maybe they should be allowed to stay as long as they're in the Novice categories. If I'm doing my job right, they'll get the skills and fitness to upgrade soon enough, and then go off and play in the majors. I suppose that does compete a bit with teams that want to develop riders also, but in truth there's more work to do there than any single team can handle. I'm hoping that the existing teams would be glad for the support. Am I wrong?

[Kup]

As someone who is a potential candidate for the development squad, I find the idea very attractive. I think others would, too.

It occurs to me that Gamjams.net could offer resources on the site for the novice racer. As a racing neophyte, it's difficult to try to figure out how best to train and prepare, what races are best for beginners, what the considerations are in choosing a racing schedule, a team, and so on; and the available resources to help the novice are slim. The MABRA and UCSF sites are basically silent on the matter; Artemis hosts its clinic in the Fall and there are a few, outdated pages on its team Website that discuss the issues generally; but I know of no other resources available on the Web to the novice.

An online guide for MABRA novices could, of course, be part of the work of the development squad, as well as a way for local teams to contribute. By way of example, it could include articles on training basics, race calendars, race prep, course descriptions, and so on. BJ and other coaches could have a place to provide advice and, obviously, advertise their services. The site could provide a forum for novice to ask questions of volunteers from the local teams. Seems like a logical way to attract recruits, grow site traffic, and provide an easy avenue for local teams to support the effort, all while meeting a need.

[Jim Briggs]

So!
We can talk all winter!! Maybe most of you guys should talk all year too! I'm going to train. When i'm a little stronger i'll try to talk some of my fellow 5's to work with me. I'm interested in your team concept, but expect to move from Arlington to Pittsburgh some time in the not to distant future, (I'm not spending big bucks to join anything I may not appreciate). Jim

[Amos Swogger]

I really like your idea of requiring riders to blog. Setting up a blog is easy and free, and alot of people spend hours online already. Having alot of linked together websites would be attractive to sponsors if their company was represented well.