Study On The Operating Model Of Professional Road Cycling Clubs In China

Road Cycling has demonstrated a strong trend of development these years. As a common organization form in modern sports, sports club has become an important approach for people to take part in road cycling sport. With the development of professional road cycling events in China, China Max-success Sports Cycling Team and Qinghai Tianyoude Cycling Team became the first two UCI-registered professional teams throughout China. During the past ten years, Chinese professional cycling clubs has undergone a laborious experience and also gradually formed their own operating model.By the approaches of literature method, field method and case study, this paper customizes and analyses the development process of our professional road cycling clubs, concludes the main operating models of present professional cycling clubs and analyses the characteristics and causes of different operating models with the study object on the operating models of our professional road cycling clubs. On this basis, this paper chooses Giant-Champion System Pro Cycling Team as a case study object, and analyses its specific operating model from capital operation, organizational and administrative pattern, training and racing mode and promotion mode. By this case study, this paper tries to point out the existing problems and shortcomings of our professional road cycling clubs and also proposes some countermeasures on how to deepen the professionalism of road cycling clubs. Conclusions of this papaer are as follows:firstly, the professional road cycling clubs in China has undergone two stages, one is infancy stage, the other is primary stage; four different operating models has formed. Secondly, four reasons lead to the present operating models. The first one is the long-time influence of "Nationwide System"; the second one is low attraction of cycling sport to marketing; the third one is low thresthold professional road cycling clubs, especially Continental Team; the forth one is sharp gap bewteen Chinese riders and foreign ones. Thirdly, still some shortcomings exist in fund operation, organization management, competition and training and promotio of the pro cycling clubs.This tentative study on professional road cycling clubs hopes to attract more attention and study on national road cycling clubs. Moreover, this paper hopes to provide a theoretic construction and guidance for the managers and involvers of our professional road cycling clubs.