Sports Marketing .ie has already commented on the Armstrong comeback, however sports business have highlighted the financial value of the renewed rivalry.
Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France rivalry against Astana teammate Alberto Contador will drive the American cyclist’s efforts to raise $20 million to start his own team.
In May seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong said he was exploring the prospect of starting his own squad when Astana had fallen behind with salary payments.
“Even people who aren’t fans of the Tour de France or fans of bicycling, they love this story about this guy coming back,” Scott Harris, president and founder of Mustang Marketing, told Bloomberg.
“There will be a lot of people who will want to jump on that bandwagon. Assuming he finishes in the top three, and if he’s very fortunate and wins – he’ll be writing his own ticket. And the timing is great because the economy is going to start to come back a little bit.”
Astana is backed coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan who have given more than €15 million ($21 million) of backing this year to the team. It is believed major Tour de France team sponsors pay between $6 million and $15 million.
Source: Sports Business
