Sponsorship

I hate to even bring it up...this is a touchy subject for me...

I race my bike because it is SOOO much fun, and because I enjoy the success I have been achieving in the process, but it really is just a hobby.  A hobby that costs A TON of money!  Even moreso when you are no longer a "recreational" rider, but one who is competing against others who are working just as hard, and spending just as much to gain those valuable few seconds...

Last year I learned a valuable lesson in my first Pro,1,2 Time Trial.  That lesson was simply if you don't have the proper equipment, it WILL cost you time on the course.  You can ride harder, put out more power, and suffer more than your competitiors, and still get beaten...BADLY.  I had been borrowing my Dad's TT bike all summer, and was winning all of the TT's I was entering as a Cat 3 and 4...but, against the pro's, not so much...they all had their positions DIALED and their equipment was top notch.  No one had to explain to me at the end of the race why I got 20th place, even though I put in the ride of my life...I just simply didn't have the same weapons in my bike geek arsenal as the other riders did.  They ARE available to all of us...I just didn't have them...

These "weapons" cost money...RIDICULOUS amounts of money...and that is something that a public school teacher who supports a family of 4 just doesn't have...at all.

I have been fortunate enough to have met some really great people in the cycling community over the last year, and everyone has been so willing to help me get started in this sport.  Bert Hull, owner of Warp9 Bikes, Uberhund Designs, and MultiSport Direct, has been sponsoring me with discounts on cycling gear since day one, and without his support, I would not have been able to afford the items that I DO HAVE.  THANKS, BERT!  And the other MAJOR sponsor I have had throughout all of this is my parents.  I can't even begin to imagine how much they spent last year on my travel expenses, race entry fees, bike repairs (one really expensive repair/rebuild after I crashes in the State Championship Road Race at 35mph and TRASHED my bike), and for that, what can I say...they are my Mom and Dad...anyone who knows them would agree that people like that just really don't exist in real life.  Thanks you two...

I would estimate last year's total expenses were in the neighborhood of $10,000.  And that was including the purchase of my ROAD bike, repairing my road bike after the crash, travel, race entry fees, racing kit (helments, shoes, gloves, glasses, etc.) Those expenses reflect owning ONE race bike, and borrowing bikes and equipment from my Dad, Bert, and a few other folks as I needed things.  Remember, those were my expenses while racing at a "recreational" level. 

This year, I will need to purchase a Time Trial bike and a set of race wheels, along with a number of items that need to be replaced on my road bike from last year.  This year's races will take me all across Tennessee, to Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Georgia, and Oregon just to name the ones off the top of my head.  Many of these races will be multi-day events that require hotel stays, and some will require flying to the race...

I would estimate that this year's expenses will FAR exceed those of last year...by how much...well...lets hope I don't have another major crash!  LOL...

I have never been one to ask for handouts, but if I want to give bike racing a REAL solid try, to see just how far I can take all of this, I WILL NEED HELP.

If you are interested in being a part of my bike racing endeavor, please contact me at tbell1979@gmail.com or call me anytime (423) 994-7326.

In the meantime, keep checking back for updates.  There's a race this weekend I am looking forward to, and you can be sure that you will be able to read all about it right here...as soon as I can get to a computer!  =)

Tim