Podium Ambition Cycling Team have launched a Crowdfunding campaign to help them get closer to the goal of paying their riders and staff a living wage and allow them to be competitive in the Women’s World Tour (WWT).

The 14 strong pro team consisting of multiple Olympic athletes and 6 rider scholarship team rely heavily on volunteers and are often required to sell bikes to make ends meet during the season. Now they’re looking to gain revenue by offering sponsorship packages and experiences such as days with the team the team via Crowdfunder.

The team, managed by Dame Sarah and Barney Storey, this year added the Boot Our Breast Cancer Cycling Club to their repertoire to promote grassroots women’s cycling and add an extra revenue stream to the pro team via membership.

However, more cash is needed to support a successful operation. The pro team want to be ranked within the top 15 UCI pro teams by the end of the year and they’ll also help support up-and-coming potential UK stars of women’s cycling via the scholarship programme.

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The Crowdfunding campaign went live today and works on a “keep what you raise” basis. The not-for-profit company hope to find a new income stream that will further assist them to add to their growing organisation, as well as offering new ways for fans of the sport to engage with a team embarking on a new and exciting journey.

Speaking of the campaign, Dame Sarah Storey explained the sentiments behind the idea: “We are frequently asked if fans can make a monetary donation to the team as they love what we are trying to achieve and want to play a part.”

“Obviously we want to repay their generosity and so it made sense to create a campaign with clear but simple rewards that we know the team can fulfil. Many people have spoken of the financial commitment the new UCI Women’s World Tour creates for teams who wish to be a part of it and as we look to climb the rankings to gain this status for 2017 we need to ensure we are providing the very best opportunities for our riders this year. We have secured much of our budget through superb partnerships with our sponsors and by involving our fans and other interested parties we can create the kind of financial sustainability that sees full-time staff as well.”

“In addition we have identified a number of additional possibilities we would like to action for our Scholarship Team who are all either in full or part-time work or education. These riders are planning gap years and in some cases working towards multi-discipline careers so we would like to create a fund that allows them to have the financial backing that can keep up with their ambitions.”

The campaign will run for 6 weeks and options include having a name on the team bus and meeting the team. After 6 weeks Signs Express Manchester will update the design on the rear of the Motorhome with the names of the contributors and Podium Ambition will announce the first race at which people can come to visit the finished product. The names of the contributors will displayed for the entire season and there will be numerous opportunities for people to visit the team and see what they are a part of.

Anyone with questions or further information should contact [email protected] and visit the crowdfunding site at to view the pledge options. The team also welcome anyone with further ideas to contact them and suggest other rewards they would like to see.