Women's cycling - major sponsor pulls out as policies are not 'trans inclusive'

[Xoxoxoxoxoxox]

Helen joice has just put this up on twitter.
A new major sponsor is being sought to ensure that the 6th Women’s CiCLE Classic and 8th Junior Men’s edition of the race can go ahead as planned, following the decision of longstanding sponsor Pete Stanton to withdraw his sponsorship of the races...due to the decision to not include trans atheletes.

• A man tries to use his money to force women to accept transwomen in women's races.

I hadn't thought about the trans activism behind sponsorships deals that fund women's sport that must go on behind the scenes but here is an example laid bare. The men's races are not under threat just the women's races of course.

www.velouk.net/2022/04/12/news-sponsors-needed-for-womens-junior-cicle-classic/.

@MorrisZapp

I don't want to see pressure groups sponsoring events. Not rainbows, not red hands. Womens sport must be able to attract commercial sponsorship or it can't flourish. A win in this case would be any reasonable commercial concern being brave enough to step up.

Yes, I agree it would be good if they didn't do their virtue signalling and exert their political beliefs onto women's sports. However, that chappie who pulled out when women were allowed to compete fairly (without having to contend with biological males) in their race turned out to be quite the political pressure sponsor. He was supposedly just a commercial sponsor.

All the commercial sponsors seem to be very political when it comes to supporting unfairness in women's sports. But the single one which is picked out as too political is a woman's group that is striving to keep women's sports clean and fair.

the single one which is picked out as too political is a woman's group that is striving to keep women's sports clean and fair

That’s. Very interesting take - hadn’t thought of that.

Yes I suppose I am. I'm daring to say that there are restrictions on political and pressure group advertising on this country for a reason.

So sporting associations must divest themselves of all links to charities campaigning for change to benefit their members? So no anti racism programmes, rainbow laces, disability awareness? Is that what you mean or do you mean that campaigning for womens rights is different?

Interesting that apparently LGBT athletes no longer have to worry about losing sponsorship if / when they come out. But female athletes are so terrified that they will lose sponsorship if they come out as believing in biology that hardly any of them will speak about this blatant unfairness publicly. Women need sponsors who do not silence them.

www.outsports.com/2017/10/20/16508340/gay-athletes-sponsor-kenworthy-rogers-griner

I think there’s a stark difference between something like the EDL sponsoring something for publicity vs a women’s group stepping in with an offer to fill a funding hole that puts the race at risk due to a sponsor throwing toys of of the pram because only women are going to race…

I agree that it’s not a sustainable model but it would have filled a gap and enabled the race to go ahead if it had been needed in the short term. Then the organisers have a bit of breathing space to seek sponsors who are interested in supporting womens sport.

@PoshPyjamas

the single one which is picked out as too political is a woman's group that is striving to keep women's sports clean and fair

That’s. Very interesting take - hadn’t thought of that.

This.

It's a bit late to keep it unpolitical: the sponsor who chose to pull out did that, and intentionally made it very political.

It's also a bit weird that while it's apparently ok that he made it highly political and got it all over the papers, women standing up for women's rights is very much the wrong kind of political and must be avoided and hushed up. And then you see what they actually said, and see the spill words of 'because activists will go bananas and cause us a fucking nightmare'.

Way past time the tantrums stopped intimidating grown ups. It is political, women having rights is not something anyone sane has a problem with, and the frantic shhh shhh, sit down, don't upset people by wanting rights and pointing out your problem and awful male behaviour to women is just sexism. That's it. That's all.

What?

So now we can't explain how the IoC came to make the decisions ithas? The steps that were taken THE REASONS THAT THE IOC THEMSELVES say were taken?

What was it? Did I say too baldly that the choice was to focus in inclusivity at all costs?

Not inclusivity for women, though. Even in women's sports.

@IvyTwines

Rich males weaponising their money to force women to do as they're told.

This.

twitter.com/ripx4nutmeg/status/1514210644349919232?s=20&t=vusOF46hcLgesGt3qxRlCQ

Apologies if this has already been posted but just too good not to share. For anyone not wanting to click on a Twitter link, it's a clip of The Cyclepath at a recent track event. The guy who was tasked holding the bike at the start line buckled under the weight of this particular athlete.

Note how the second competitor just glides on to the start line!

Also some podium photos here:

twitter.com/Women___Exist/status/1514476719519850496?s=20&t=vusOF46hcLgesGt3qxRlCQ

It just highlights that TW do have an advantage in sport. If someone so out Of shape can come third in a women’s race but would not have even qualified for the men’s race.

Is it just me who's seething at the puffed up smuggery of Stanton and Clews? Stanton makes a laughingly illogical claim to 'fully support women's sport' i.e. women's sport that isn't women's sport whilst pulling sponsorship of a woman's event that he actually wants to become mixed. Don't you just want to vomit when you hear his claims of promoting 'interests of all parties'. when he really means promoting the interests of failed men who want to muscle in on women's events. No thank you Pete.
Then there's Clews. I bet he's enjoying his 20 mins of fame. Another weak little man spouting another load of shite.
How dare he call women's groups that support women's sport 'political'. and imply that they aren't fit sponsors. Your chum Stanton started it. What is Stanton's grandstanding if not political? I just wish it were in my power to get these two on a platform to debate this with Emma Hilton or Nic Williams. They would be mincemeat. Of course they wouldn't have got the balls.
Finally I need to say what a blobby lard-arse that man aka Veronica Ivy is. Any race organisers should ensure that he gets a much bigger and stronger 'holder'. The norm for women simply isn't big or strong enough for that out of shape mess. The race could end up being sued if the holder gets injured. Of course fatty didn't move at all to help and notice how he was over the line to start. An all round and very rotund cheat. BTW I have no problem being mean to him. Remember his words about Magdalen Berns and his desire for opponents to 'die in a grease fire'.

his desire for opponents to 'die in a grease fire'

How oddly specific. Is he threatening some kind of kamikaze arson attack?

*Then there's Clews. I bet he's enjoying his 20 mins of fame. Another weak little man spouting another load of shite.
How dare he call women's groups that support women's sport 'political'. and imply that they aren't fit sponsors. Your chum Stanton started it. What is Stanton's grandstanding if not political? I just wish it were in my power to get these two on a platform to debate this with Emma Hilton or Nic Williams. They would be mincemeat. Of course they wouldn't have got the balls. *

I actually agree with Clews’s position.
At the end of the day, this is a cycling race, and I suspect most women just want to put all this behind them and get on with racing.

Against men?

Can anyone explain this, because I don't get it:

fairplayforwomen.com/womens-cycling-race-saved-after-campaigns-raise-public-support/

Why are the organisers going for crowdfunding, if they had lots of offers for the £15K?

@ifIwerenotanandroid

Can anyone explain this, because I don't get it:

fairplayforwomen.com/womens-cycling-race-saved-after-campaigns-raise-public-support/

Why are the organisers going for crowdfunding, if they had lots of offers for the £15K?

Clew rejected the sponsorship from FPFW and Sex Matters because Clew claims it would politicise the sponsorship of the team (see upthread for how Stanton politicised it but women mustn't).

However, although sponsorship is available for the future, the current race must be saved so there is a crowdfunding appeal.

I may be wrong.

Answering my own question...

thebritishcontinental.co.uk/2022/04/16/womens-cicle-classic-organisers-launch-crowdfunding-campaign/

& thanks, Hadrosaurus

Just watching Paris Roubaix, it's on Eurosport if anyone is interested, about 20k to go.

Have just contributed. And glad to hear that sponsorship is sorted for the next few years.

Also just found out that this particular issue has peaked a couple of dh's male friends. The more the merrier!

I’m disappointed that only women seem to be accused of politicising sport but I still want the crowdfunder to succeed. There’s still a long way to go, it’s only about 22% funded just now.

I think the fundraiser will succeed. I donated, as I was going to if FPFW ran one and this will have the same result, which is that the race will continue despite previous sponsor withdrawal.