A Jumbo Miss: Team Jumbo-Visma Shifts Past an Opportunity

I immersed myself as a passionate fan in this year’s just finished greatest stage-series bike race of them all, the Tour de France.  Rather than the nightly hour recap or waking up at 3AM to watch full coverage, I was blessed that NBC’s Peacock streaming service allowed me to time shift every stage coverage start to finish.  This made possible taking-in the full 85 hours of coverage, which meant brands had incredible exposure to audience like myself.  And checking in with just a few of my fellow passionate followers of grand tour cycle racing, I was not alone. 

A solid fist-bump to NBC Sports for the fabulous coverage and to Peacock for making “anytime any stage watching” so convenient. To be sure, Peacock streamed it live as well and USA Network offered selected stage coverage.  And here’s the thing: watching Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard battle it out, witnessing an American (Neilson Powless) wear the polkadots for the first eleven days of the race; screaming at the screen for veteran Englishman Mark Cavendish to win his record-breaking 35th stage victory and then retire (although sadly he crashed out and had to abandon); and so much other Tour excitement swept the majority of July past my very eyes.

Jonas Vingegaard's consecutive triumphs with Team Jumbo-Visma was a testament to their dedication and hard work. The team's unwavering determination and strategic racing prowess over 2,115 miles in 21 days, was a sight to behold. And Jumbo went all out on their website—story-telling, coverage, rider profiles, merchandise—you literally could be a super fan-boy (or girl or whoever) with a click or a swipe.

So, when the Jumbo-Visma team took the arguably audacious step of ordering up special champagne flutes to toast one another in the early processional of the final stage, and raised their bespoke black champagne flutes adorned with elegant gold lettering to celebrate Jonas’ back-to-back wins, I thought “Now that’s a first”—I mean not the champagne or glasses while riding, that’s all tradition. No, actually, the fact that they ordered custom flutes in advance, demonstrating their strength in confidence, and shared them for millions of viewers to see—like me. I may have missed it, but for a team to produce its own branded champaign flute for the customary victory toast in advance for all to see (even providing a spare to one of the NBC analysts and U.S. Tour De France racing veteran himself Christian Vande Velde), that had to be a first. 

Of course, the eCommerce geek in me, I sprang into action—I was going to be on the waiting list to purchase my flute within hours of the celebration. I mean surely after all this marketing bravado, they had that waiting for me, right?

 I raced to the Team Jumbo Visma website –intent on purchasing at least one, maybe a pair of these limited-edition flutes for my husband and I in commemoration of Jonas’ 2nd victory. Well, I needed to slow my roll.

To my dismay, they were not available for purchase and nowhere to be found—not even a mention at that point of Sunday’s Parisian celebration, and not even a sign-up to order in advance (and I was willing to pay a premium). That left me with a sense of missed opportunity and longing to own a piece of history.  I can understand that they certainly did not want to order cases of flutes if Tadej pulled off his 3rd victory, but they could’ve provided an opportunity to sign-up for an advance order that could have easily not gone live if that fateful outcome occurred.  By the end of Stage 20 they should’ve seized on this opportunity to share the victory with probably tens of thousands of us worldwide.

Look, as an eCommerce leader and customer engagement strategist, I understand the significance of limited-edition collectibles in creating long-term connections with fans. These unique and exclusive items hold immense value for fans like me, as they become cherished memorabilia that trigger the memories team's achievements and moments of triumph. Owning such a collectible not only fosters a sense of pride and exclusivity but also deepens the emotional bond between the team and its devoted supporters.  Sure, it’s only a bike racing team, it’s not like its Nike or a bike maker, but galvanizing that loyalty would help them push far more merch than any other team, and could’ve—by affinity marketing—driven commerce for other teams and the Tour itself.  Afterall, it’s not like an event with ticket revenue.

The absence of the custom black and gold champagne flutes on the Team Jumbo Visma website (or realistically, the opportunity to get in line to purchase them) was not only a personal disappointment for me as a fan, but also represented a missed opportunity for the team—a jumbo miss (if you see what I did there).

Offering for purchase these exclusive, limited edition (first ordered, first served) flutes could have created a frenzy of demand, generating more revenue for the team while forging stronger connections with their global fan base (you need to think like a rock band, gents). Limited edition collectibles have the power to leave a lasting impact on fans, enhancing their loyalty and engagement with the team for years to come.

Jumbo flute or not, I’m looking forward to Tour ’24 in an Olympic year on top of it and another deadlock battle between Jonas Vingegaard (“Jonas winger-guard”) and Tadej Pogacar (“Tah-jay Poh-Got-cha”).  With each of them 25yrs old, this fantastic duel is likely to be with us for nearly a decade. Oh, and for the record, this household here is also big fan of Tadej and Team UAE as well… hmm, I should probably go check their website.