This is an interesting project that I’ve come across. And now that I’m obsessed with all things road cycling I thought I’d give this campaign a bit of a plug. It’s different – and it might be something that both cyclists and businesses could benefit from.

Thanks to big cycling events such as the Tour de France we used to seeing big sponsor names adorning the jerseys of pro cyclists. As you can imagine, this kind of advertising isn’t cheap. To start with these brands will gain huge publicity from being on the backs of the world’s top cyclists. On average it also  costs more than  $10million per year to operate a pro cycling team so these guys need to raise some cash.

Now a company called the Million€uroCycleJersey Project wants to offer the more ordinary/smaller/less well-off company to have the chance for a similar style of advertising opportunity. The kind of exposure might not be the same as for a major sponsor on one of the grand cycling tours but it will still offer great promotion at a good value price.

So how will it work?

The cyclists: You can register on the Million€uroCycleJersey website to receive your FREE jersey. Yes, that’s right, it’s a FREE jersey in your size, to fit you and for you to wear while you’re out and about training and racing. You do not have to pledge to wear it for any set amount of time, but the chances are you will because your other jerseys will become dirty/sweaty/wet/worn.

The businesses: This could be local bike shops, small companies, large brands. You pay to sponsor a certain number of jerseys. You can choose how many and you can choose the country (England, Wales, Scotland, N. Ireland or Italy) where the jersey will be worn. There is no guarantee of the number of hours that the jerseys will be worn while cyclists are out on their bikes but if you know anything about cycling then you’ll be aware that riders spend hours and hours on the roads training and racing. And the roads are also used by drivers, pedestrians, passers by etc so the exposure of your logo could be massive in terms of the general public. You can either share the jersey space with other advertisers or pay to sponsor the whole jersey yourself. Prices for sponsoring start from £25.

And the €million Euros bit? Well, the aim of the project is to sell €1million to sponsors. The brainchild behind the project, Jonathon, is hoping that the idea will take off. He worries that handling the business might take him away from his cycling passion – but then again he knows his wife will be happier to have him at home more. Anyone who is married to a cyclist will know that Cycling Widow feeling. (Personally my view is: if you can’t beat them, then join them for all those miles of cycling. The G-Force and I have already signed up for our free jerseys!)