For the past two years, the California-based HTC-High Road team has taken home more wins than any other cycling team in the world. Much of what they have accomplished comes down to the attention to detail over every aspect of the team, including their sponsors.
Earlier this week the HTC-High Road squad announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with Specialized. The symbiotic partnership is something that both sides have said they intend to fully exploit in the name of furthering technical innovation in the sport. The Silicon Valley-based bicycle manufacturer fits into team owner Bob Stapleton’s vision of having complimentary sponsorships surrounding his high-powered team.
“We’re looking for another partner that will complement the ones we’ve got,” Stapleton told VeloNation. Specialized currently sits alongside marketing partners Google and Skype, two of the biggest names that the technology sector has to offer. “A company that is either a technology or lifestyle marketer that has the same general marketing plan as our current partners and where cycling is relevant.”
Stapleton, whose team has pulled off an incredible 17 stage wins in the last three Tours de France that includes stints in both the green and yellow jersey, notes their peculiar pattern of bringing sponsors on board for the sport’s marquee event.
“Our normal selling cycling has been the Tour,” he admits. “We’ve had good success with bringing people in for the Tour de France, it’s kind of the new schedule for sponsorship, but I’d love to get something done in advance of that. I’d love to bring another big sponsor into the sport at that event.”
In a sport where just one stage success in the Tour de France each year can amount to a successful season for many, Stapleton puts HTC-High Road out there as a unique inroad to the sport cycling. It’s a situation where a sponsor will find themselves as part of the cream rising to the top, with not only a men’s team, but also their top notch women’s squad.
“They can come in with a big bang,” he added. “They can come in at the top level with the top team and come into the top events. “
While Stapleton wouldn’t talk numbers about the commitment level necessary, he was pointed about what cycling offers as a sport.
“You know, it’s a great promotional opportunity,” he explained. “The dollar investment in cycling goes much further than in any other sport and we’ve got all of the numbers to back that up.”