Dodgy sponsors

[Dogtrousers]

One cycling sponsor's product reviewed at https://inrng.com/2026/06/faxe-kond...utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=faxe-kondi-review

Without the cycling team I'd never have heard of Uno-X fuel stations or Faxe Kondi fizzy drink - which shows how well the sponsorship works.

Or maybe it just shows how focused their sponsorship is on Scandi countries.

I'm giving Faxe Kondi a very low score on the dodgysponsometer. Seems almost wholesome.

 

[Alex321]

Without the cycling team I'd never have heard of Uno-X fuel stations or Faxe Kondi fizzy drink - which shows how well the sponsorship works.

Yes, there are a fiew cycling team spnsors I would never have heard of otherwise.

Soudall I hadn't heard fo originally, but have since seen some of their products in B&Q.

Alpecin I wouldn't have heard of if not for other adverts.

Q36.5

FDJ

Plus several others.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

I'm giving Faxe Kondi a very low score on the dodgysponsometer. Seems almost wholesome.

That's good, as I wouldn't want to have had a falling out with you*


*With a viking axe

 

[mjr]

This comment about the irony of petrostate-sponsored Pog complaining about climate change: https://mastodon.world/@davidho/116908475170145718

reminded me that inrng updated their sponsor review recently:
https://inrng.com/2026/07/pro-team-...edium=rss&utm_campaign=pro-team-sponsors-2026

 

[Moderators]

Thread closed pending content review.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Mod Note:
Thread reopened.

 

[Dogtrousers]

UAE's women's team UAE Team ADQ is now UAE Team L'imad

How exciting. Goodbye to ADQ, which is an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Hello to L'imad which is ... er ... an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund. Hmph.

In fact I think it's actually the same sovereign wealth fund, with a different name as Abu Dhabi is rolling its $263 billion fund ADQ into the newly formed L’IMAD, as the Emirate aims to create a sovereign investment powerhouse under its crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

So meh. The dodginess needle does not move,

 

[Dogtrousers]

A bit slow on the uptake, but I just noticed that Inrng did a run down of the Women's sponsors recently, here: https://inrng.com/2026/08/womens-pro-team-sponsors/#more-48303

Worth a read for a bit of background.

Some interesting things that I didn't know are:
St Michel Preference Home Auber 93 is closing its men's team to focus on the women. Emilie Morier got 19th on GC in the TdFF. Alison Jackson and Alicia Gonzalez (both punchy sprinty types) seem to be their mainstays for points in smaller races. But if they have more cash they might be able to sign up some bigger names.
Canyon SRAM, after dropping ultra-dodgy bitcoin scammers Zondacrypto have signed up Scaleable Capital (German "retail brokerage platform", whatever that is) but they aren't (yet) title sponsors.
Human Powered Health is a subsidiary of Optum which is itself part of UnitedHealth group, the American health and insurance giant. I did wonder how a seemingly small niche company could afford to sponsor a team.