Tour Of Britain To Capitalise On Cycling Boom

The organisers of the Tour of Britain, SweetSpot Group, are looking to sign partnerships with ‘major international brands’ in response to the event’s growing popularity. 

In a year of unprecedented success for British cycling, both on the road and track, the sport’s fanbase in the UK has reached new heights. The relatively recent growth in support for cycling was reflected in the TV audience figures for the Tour of Britain which was broadcast on ITV4 and received an average of 382,000 viewers each day. Overall, close a million viewers watched either live coverage of the eight day race or the highlights programme. 

‘Commercial interest in the sport is in rude health in the UK and the sport is primed for further growth moving forward,’ Alistair Grant, commercial director of SweetSpot Group, told Marketing Week, adding that the recent scandal that has engulfed Lance Armstrong has not had a negative effect. ‘Brands still want to work with us despite the allegations because cycling is a sport that’s flushed with British success and brands want to be associated with that.’

Grant added: ‘This year’s race was broadcast live across more than 130 countries and this is only going to grow as interest in the UK riders continues to grow. We’re talking to two major international brands at the moment about the brand building opportunities this type of scale can provide.’