Joe Martin Stage Race cancelled for 2024

[LegendRider]

More bad news for US road racing.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/joe...oot-next-year/

I wish the organizers the best, but the "we plan to be back next year" never seems to work out.

[trener1]

I saw this as well, huge bummer for sure.

[Bruce K]

Another blow to US bicycle racing

BK

[FriarQuade]

While unfortunate this is very predictable. Road racing in America is dead.

[mickey.d]

Can someone explain how with record profits and dividends and a literal mountain of family Non-Profit money sunk into building cycling in Arkansas that the Wal-Mart heirs and corporate big-shots didn’t decide continue to be the title sponsors of this event?

America’s largest retailer and second largest employer (with an average of more than $6,600,000 in revenue PER SECOND in 2022…) can’t throw what is likely no more than a few tens of thousands of dollars into renewing their title sponsorship from last year… how?

Brendan Quirk you still on here?
Please explain!?

Signed,
Literally anyone who is paying attention.

[Tandem Rider]

They moved it on the calendar to Memorial Day weekend. There’s a long established weekend series in the Quad Cities that’s been going on since well before the Joe Martin. I think it’s also the weekend of Somerville. There’s no way they can compete for both riders and support staff, especially since the director’s reputation precedes him.

[merckxman]

Tour of Somerville is on Memorial Day, May 27th. The Easton Twilight Criterium, in PA, is May 25th.

[Elefantino]

"Canceled for next year" is the same thing that happened to every other former stage race in the U.S.

[redir]

Didn't they go through this "cancelled for this year" thing before? I may be thinking of something else. So much for the Kuss affect, or the Jorgeson affect, or the McNulty affect.

We just can't seem to do it here in the USA.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by mickey.d

Can someone explain how with record profits and dividends and a literal mountain of family Non-Profit money sunk into building cycling in Arkansas that the Wal-Mart heirs and corporate big-shots didn’t decide continue to be the title sponsors of this event?

America’s largest retailer and second largest employer (with an average of more than $6,600,000 in revenue PER SECOND in 2022…) can’t throw what is likely no more than a few tens of thousands of dollars into renewing their title sponsorship from last year… how?

Brendan Quirk you still on here?
Please explain!?

Signed,
Literally anyone who is paying attention.

Can you tell me what value Walmart would derive by continuing to sponsor the race? Walmart is a publicly traded corporation and owes an obligation to shareholders. If the benefit to be had isn’t worth expending the funds, or the funds could be more effectively used for other marketing purposes, wouldn’t that justify it pulling the plug on its sponsorship?

[m_sasso]

For years I boycotted Walley World for their treatment of employees, when they started supporting cycling I began to occasionally shop there. It appears like they made a decision, for me to easily go back to my previous ways.

Won't see me at Walley World any time soon.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by m_sasso

For years I boycotted Walley World for their treatment of employees, when they started supporting cycling I began to occasionally shop there. It appears like they made a decision, for me to easily go back to my previous ways.

Won't see me at Walley World any time soon.

https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

[makoti]

Originally Posted by djg21

Can you tell me what value Walmart would derive by continuing to sponsor the race? Walmart is a publicly traded corporation and owes an obligation to shareholders. If the benefit to be had isn’t worth expending the funds, or the funds could be more effectively used for other marketing purposes, wouldn’t that justify it pulling the plug on its sponsorship?

Yeah, it seems that, as a title sponsor, they looked at the return they got and found it wasn't worth the little it probably cost. Can't say I'm surprised. My friends and I spend a lot of our money on bikes and bike stuff, but none of it comes from Wal-mart. I don't know anyone (but I'm sure they exist) who is into cycling racing AND a regular at Wal-mart. I tell them that I'm going to Arkansas to see what the Walton boys are building and they are surprised a connection between Wal-mart and cycling exists.

[KonaSS]

Clearly the lesson here is that the decline in road cycling in the United States is Walmart's fault.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

Clearly the lesson here is that the decline in road cycling in the United States is Walmart's fault.

I think that you have that backwards. Walmart will go bankrupt if a few hundred or thousand cyclists boycott it.