Is Cycling sexy? - Update

Last year I wrote a post regarding cycling advertising and how our sport seems to be one of the only sports were Lycra wearing and shaving legs by our male athletes is acceptable yet when it comes to marketing the sport we shy away from using "lifestyle" or "sexy" images to sell bikes and even the sport itself.

This week that point has been made all the more clear when an advert (seen below - Courtesy of the Sun on Sunday) by the Bike manufacture Triuk was banned by the advertising standards authority for because it is "likely to cause offence".  The advert was investigated after a Reader of the Cycling plus Magazine took offence.

                                                               http://www.thesun.co.uk/

Judge for yourself as to whether you feel the advert is offensive.  Are we really that bad as group of enthusiast that we get offended by what is hardly grotesque images.  Triuk explained the advert was tongue in cheek and in all fairness I think the wider world would agree.  It takes a sad, lonely individual to make such a complaint and says more about him/her that the advert

Amazingly the company is now likely to get more coverage for the advert from sites like this and the national press having the advert banned than it ever would have by the advert itself.  This is only likely to fuel an increase in type of marketing.  So I guess instead of castigating the individual who complained, maybe we should be thanking them

Do we need loads of half naked men and women to sell more bikes? NO!  Does it make the adverts more interesting, more exciting and more readable, yes I believe it does?  Not for the naked women itself but for the tongue in cheek thought, the play on word and the desire to try a new approach.  Selling in whatever field you work is all about creating appeal for a product, cycling still remains about the only Sport that fails to use the athlete’s body image as sales weapon!

Ask Victoria Pendleton whether she uses her great physique and good looks to sell her new range? Of course she does and why not.

Come on cycling lets move into the 21st century.  There is no room for fuddy duddies any more, it’s a modern sport so let’s roll with it and make the sport bigger and better!