Yes, the 2016 budget figures have been tallied up for Team Sky are out and guess what — it’s even bigger than you thought. Up by 27% over the previous year. So if you were still pondering the question, “Does money buy grand tour victory?” the answer is a resounding yes.
Sky’s grand tab for last year (in US dollars) was $41,793,211. Yes, that’s the kind of money that will keep Chris Froome on the roster and supported by the top climbing domestiques in the world of pro cycling. That’s the kind of math that wins four of the last five editions of the Tour de France — and now you can throw in a Vuelta a Espana, too.
By contrast, AG2R muddles long with $18,371,000, SunWeb runs on an estimated $14,700,000 and poor little crowdfunded Cannondale-Drapac, rescued by a last-second new sponsor, operates at 15,000,000, perhaps less.
There’s a certain irony to the financial supremacy at Team Sky — sky really is the limit — with sponsorship dollars up 50%. It’s always a little comical to hear team manager David Brailsford and Chris Froome claim with a straight face that yes, it’s a bit of an advantage but not really. Their advice is that other teams simply have to try harder.
The budget numbers from Sky show they have indeed put in another crushing performance. They’ve hit a new summit in terms of operating capital. They’ve got the euros behind the watts.
Yes, Team Sky dominates another grand tour. The one where the grand depart starts at the Murdoch bank. Down with communism. Sky wins the Tour de Finance!
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