June 19, 2004 – It was a typical bike crash. In a recent SISU BC Cup race
two wheels collide in a tightly bunched pack. Two riders go down and
racers behind them start to fall like dominos. Six riders went down in
this crash. Four of them raced for Team Symmetrics. Except for a few bumps
and bruises the riders were ok – their bikes were not. Four sets of wheels
had to be replaced. At $3,000 a set the total cost for Symmetrics was
$12,000.

Team general manager, Kevin Cunningham is getting used to it. He reveals,
“with accidents and general wear and tear we went through 150 tires in
three months of racing this spring.” It’s all part of the high cost of a
low budget sport. Historically bike riders in BC needed outside jobs to
support their addiction to racing. They get some support from local
sponsors like Trek/Volkswagen and bike manufacturer Rocky Mountain Cycles.
They hope to win enough to cover the rising cost of entry fees that
average $100 a race. They car pool, bunk with friends and billets or sleep
four or five to a hotel room. The only way to survive is to squeeze six
cents out of every nickel.

In its second year of operation, Symmetrics is the first BC team to go
pro, paying salaries and all expenses for riders. “Getting sponsorship
from Northern Feathers (a Delta bedding company) was the real key for us,”
says Cunningham “they enable us to pay our riders and let young up and
comers like Cam Evans become full time racers who can concentrate on their
training without having to take part time jobs. Northern Feathers
contribution makes all the difference.” It’s also a big reason why
Symmetrics maybe the only BC team given a chance to end the annual
monopoly of US pro teams on the podium in BC Superweek, which includes the
Tour de Delta, July 16-18, Tour de Gastown July 21 and the Save On Foods
25th Annual Tour de White Rock, July 23-25.

“We won 23 of the first 24 races in BC and Washington this year so we
think we’ve got a chance to do well in BC Superweek,” says Cunningham. “But
our real goal is not just to win races, it’s to create a team that can not
only recruit the best in BC but also keep them here. Our best riders like
Brian Walton always had to leave the province to make a living. We want to
be able to hang on to promising riders like 18 year old Marsh Cooper (of
Langley) and Cam Evans (of Tsawwassen) who’s probably the best 20 year old
racer in North America. We can’t do it on our own. That’s where we’ll need
more and more support from local sponsors devoted to racing like Northern
Feather Dreammakers of Delta and Norco bikes.”

Symmetrics operating budget of $100,000 covers salaries, travel and
assorted costs. Entry fees alone will add up to $18,000 to $20,000 by
year’s end. Symmetrics, a computer software company and Northern Feathers
Dreamworks of Delta provide the bulk of the funding. They also get in kind
sponsorship from more than a dozen other companies that cover equipment
costs.

“Basically we need 30 of everything,” Cunningham explains. “From wheels to
heart monitors to sunglasses to clothing. Bikes retail for $4,200 and
Norco gives
us 10 of them. Travel costs are enormous. It cost $14,000 to send a team
to the Tour de Beauce in Quebec, the biggest stage race in Canada. In cash
and in kind our total budget for the year will probably be about $200,000
to
$250,000.” That’s comparable to small US pro teams and about a quarter to
a half as much spent by top teams like Health Net and Colavita-Bolla which
will be racing in BC Superweek. Colavita-Bolla, which includes 2002 Tour
de Delta White Spot road race champ, Mark McCormack, is searching for
another sponsor to help double next year’s budget to a million dollars.

You have to find sponsors who already know and love the sport according to
Kevin Cunningham. “The founder of Northern Feathers, Ted Nilsson, is a
Dane who was a National Kayak Champ who grew up watching cycling in
Denmark. He’s always followed it closely and got hooked on what we were
doing. He gave every rider a pillow and duvet and has provided the
funding we needed to take our team to the next level. Next year we hope
to be able to double our budget.”

Northern Feathers Dreamworks General Manager, Jonathon Cumblage says “the
sponsorship is something that’s definitely working for us. It helps
increase
our profile. We’ve been on Tilbury Island in Delta for a decade so we’re
also excited about helping the community by becoming a Silver sponsor of
the Tour de Delta. Our owner (who is away on vacation) is all about an
active,
healthy lifestyle. He feels he’s promoting it by sponsoring cycling. It’s
something I can see we’re all going to benefit from in the long run.”