If you have any questions or want information about the rider agents, please contact info@cyclistsalliance.org
Frequently Asked Questions on Rider Agents
What is an agent?
An agent works on your behalf in whatever capacity you agree with them.
What is the role of an agent? What services do they provide?
A rider agent can help you put your CV together; find you a team; negotiate your team contract for you; manage media requests for you; find you personal sponsors and manage those relationships for you and ultimately help you manage the direction of your career and your personal brand.
Why do I need an agent? At what point in my career should I consider contracting the services of an agent?
‘On the bike”
A rider can utilise an agent for the management and supervision of her career as a professional cyclist, including, without limitation, to source, negotiate and otherwise deal with any Team Contract. An agent can help you take away the stress of contacting teams, negotiating your salary and contract terms and if contractual issues were to arise they could sort these on your behalf. Many agents also help negotiate multi-year deals, salary increases, performance bonuses and give you financial advice to maximise your personal tax situation.
‘Off the bike’
You may need an agent to help manage the ‘off the bike’ aspects of being a professional bike rider. It can be more relevant to work with an agent when the ‘off the bike’ commitments increase to the point that it is hard to manage alongside your training and bike racing. Ideally you would work with an agent before it gets to this point so the agent can help you manage your time and career.
An example contractual clause for ‘off the bike’ commitments could look like “the identification, development, negotiation and management of any and all commercial and income producing opportunities and activities that may arise directly or indirectly from the use and/or exploitation of Rider’s name, nickname, image, likeness, caricature, avatar, endorsement, photograph, video or film, voice, image reproduction and/or any other personal attributes, or any other means of endorsement or identification, or any physical or digital asset featuring or associated with the same (“Image Rights”). These commercial activities (“Commercial Activities”) shall include, without limitation: endorsement, sponsorship, licensing, merchandise and publishing opportunities; and appearances and commercial activity across all media and media platforms including digital, virtual and social media;
An agent can also assist you to develop your image and brand profile.
How do I choose the right agent for me?
First decide what your priorities and needs are.
- Do you seek support with reaching out to teams and contract negotiations?
- Or do you want someone who finds you personal sponsorships and manages those relationships for you to build your personal brand?
- Or maybe you require both?
Look at the skillset and network the agent can offer you. Besides that, it’s important to have a good personal relationship with your agent, as you will be working closely together. So take you time to meet and see if you have that personal connection.
What qualifications should an agent have? How do they become a certified agent with the UCI?
The UCI requires that anyone wishing to represent a rider (applicable only to UCI WorldTeams) – with the exception of riders’ lawyers and relatives – will have to have obtained a riders’ agent’s Licence from their National Federation and successfully passed the standardised UCI riders’ agent exam, as required by the UCI riders’ agent regulations.
Please refer to Annex C: Rider Agents Regulations in the UCI Regulations. Here is a list of UCI certified agents.
What knowledge must an agent have?
We think it is a good idea for an agent to at least have know-how of:
- Employment Contracts;
- National and international taxes;
- Knowing when it might be smart to become self-employed;
- Athlete Psychology;
- Visas;
- Setting up an administration;
- Negotiation Skills.
Will an agent manage any ‘PR crisis’ if this was to occur?
Depending on what the agent has been contracted for, they would help you manage any kind of PR crisis, though they may have to engage a specialist lawyer on your behalf depending on the nature of the crisis, but they would be able to advise.
How much does it cost to use the services of an agent? Are there different models e.g. fixed fee vs commission?
This varies agent to agent and depending on the services agreed. The most common models are for agents to receive a percentage commission of any contracts they manage for the rider – team or personal endorsements. The percentage is usually higher for personal endorsements than team contracts. A less common model is for riders to pay a retainer to an agent to cover the cost of all of their services.
Please note that the contracts brokered by your agent may continue even though your contract with this agent has been terminated. In that case, commission may also be charged on the mediated contracts. This could be called a third variant.
Please note that it matters exactly what commission is paid on. A percentage commission on gross income or net income can make a big difference. The same applies whether VAT is included or excluded.
How will you pay for the agent’s services?
You can think of paying in advance, paying afterwards or paying during. You can also think of a construction where the money comes to your agent, who then pays this to you.
The tricky thing with paying in advance is that you may have to cough up a large amount at once. Not everyone can do this.
Paying in arrears can be fine if you set the payments aside per payment period.
During the term of the contracts is usually the most favourable. So that a payment to the agent is made when money has been deposited in your account. Usually you agree that you will pay the agent within a month after the amount has been transferred to your account.
You can also think of a construction in which the payments from your team or personal sponsors are paid to the agent. The agent then deducts his commission from the payments and transfers the remainder to you.
How to assess whether your agent is functioning well?
Whether your agent works well depends on what you expect from your agent. If you are clear about what you expect from your agent, you can agree on that together. These agreements can include what to do if the expectations you have set are not met. It is therefore advisable to include the expectations and the corresponding consequences in the contract with the agent.
What you must not forget is that you are the customer and therefore have a say in how you see the cooperation. You can always be guided by your agent, but then you are dependent on the course that your agent takes and you are not sailing your own course.