Eight members of the Life Cycling Academy had the ride of their lives during July 2007 as Team CSC played host to members of the South African Life Cycling Academy (LCA) in the French Alps.
The members of the LCA arrived in Paris on 12 July and then traveled to Val d’Isere in the heart of the Alps for a few days of rubbing shoulders with the elite professional riders on Team CSC.
A rest day saw members of the group hang around with Team CSC riders to get autographs, take pictures of their heroes and become inspired about a cycling future. The experience was part of a Velokhaya fundraising effort aimed at helping South Africa mine future cycling talent.
Glyn Bloomberg, the group’s CEO and cycling enthusiast, said CSC’s commitment to helping the club will pay dividends in the future.
“We started the Life Cycling Center five years ago to enhance the development of black riders in the sport. Now we have five centers and almost 500 participants,” Bloomberg said. “We’re proud to be associated with Team CSC, which has given us the opportunity to take the development of our sport to a whole new level. The ultimate goal is to pass one of our athletes to the world elite level.”
CSC backs Velokhaya
That potential gained a huge head-start this year when CSC decided to back the group in a fundraising effort that included a trip to Europe to experience the drama and excitement of the Tour de France.
Theresa McDermit, CSC’s brand manager, said CSC is happy to provide support for the groundbreaking effort to support South Africa’s budding racing scene.
McDermit said the support fits perfectly within the reasoning behind why the company supports the professional cycling team. CSC backs the team to enhance brand recognition, entertain its global client base and to create spirit among the company’s 87,000 employees worldwide.
A fourth arm of the company’s commitment is now corporate social responsibility.
“This was just a natural and we’re thrilled to do it,” McDermit said. “We share common values and if we can help them have an international platform, we’re proud to do it.”
In addition to its commitment, CSC also pledged 3,000 euros for each stage Team CSC wins during the Tour de France - which in the end meant that the LCA has an extra 6,000 euros in their kitty thanks to Fabian Cancellara, who won the opening prologue and stage three.
The club is also getting support from key Team CSC co-sponsors.
Descente, the team’s clothing sponsor, is donating riding jerseys and other apparel to help suit up the club’s 500 riders. Cervelo is donating six new bicycles and helped get an ad on the Versus Tour de France broadcast.
Team CSC has also put the club’s logo on the team vehicles as well as the team jersey. The team’s riders will also participate in a mentorship program with the club’s athletes to create dialogue via e-mail.
“This will show the kids what the world is like outside of their communities,” McDermit said.
If the smiles on the kids’ faces were any indication, the investment is already paying off.