President of the VC Rouen 76, Jean-Claude Fromentin does not only count the races won by his riders, he is especially concerned with the balance of the budget of his cycling club which evolves at the highest amateur level. (Photo credit: Paris-Normandie archives)
The Tour de France is like the tree that hides the forest. It is not because the biggest stage race in the world took place in 2020 and that it allowed the big French professional teams – AG2R La Mondiale, Total Direct Energie, FDJ – to show their jersey and their sponsors, that cycling is doing like a charm.
France of cycling is above all a multitude of amateur clubs. In the agglomeration of Rouen, road cycling fans are used to following the performances of the riders of Barentin and the VC Rouen 76.
President of VC Rouen 76, Jean-Claude Fromentin should not regret having spent a large part of his professional career in banking before moving into real estate development. Because for more than twelve months, when he opens the “VCR76” file at home in the evening or on weekends, he delves into the accounts.
A 2020-2021 budget revised downwards
Even if it evolves at the highest amateur level – the DN1 – the VC Rouen 76 does not run on gold. Balancing a budget requires a lot of energy from its president and a real force of conviction with private sponsors (68% of the budget) and local communities (32%). “From a budget of € 580,000 during the 2019-2020 season, we have gone to a budget slightly above € 400,000 this season”, explains Jean-Claude Fromentin.
The DN1 team was reduced to sixteen riders because the number of racing days was cut by almost 50%. But a cycling club is not just runners. The VC Rouen 76 also employs two sports directors, a mechanic, a part-time administrator and “freelancers” to support the holders on race days.
Each expense is weighed to avoid plunging the accounts into the red. “We are holding on to the shock because I created a club of around fifty local businesses several years ago. Every two months, we organize themed evenings to create a network and to give entrepreneurial meaning to their sponsorship approach. If companies have had to concentrate on their core business for a year, we can always count on their support ”, poursuit Jean-Claude Fromentin.
Health crisis requires, the VC Rouen 76 had to put its cycling school to a halt. But youth remains the priority of the best Norman amateur club. “For two years, we have been focusing on young people and boys like Kévin Vauquelin or Hugo Thoumire have proven us right by winning victories. Our goal is to see our best people go professional in the big French clubs. ” As we say in cycling jargon, now is not the time to put the turn signal on the right.
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