The month of July is a big one in Europe as the world’s most famous bike race is on the roads of France. The Tour De France covers 21 days, 2000 miles, mountains as high as 6000 feet above sea level to crown a winner. So when the race started on the island of Corsica, more than a few heads were turned when a “new” team hit the start line. The Beklin Pro Cycling team showed up with the threat of several riders capable of winning the race including Dutchmen Robert Gesink who last year won the Tour Of California, Bauke Mollema and Laurens Ten Dam. As I type this, Mollema was in sixth place overall and Ten Dam was in tenth as the start of today’s action in the French Alps. With three days to go, there’s a good chance for them to finish strong.
So the question is, why would Belkin get involved in cycling? After all, they’re a tech company. For the answer to that, here’s what Chet Pipkin, Belkin’s founder and CEO had to say:
“Cycling relies on innovation to drive success and has a passionate, tech savvy fan base that follows the sport closely, which aligns really well with the Belkin brand. Associating our Belkin and Linksys brands with this successful, well-established pro cycling team enables us to introduce ourselves to millions of people around the world and interact with them.”
To expand on that a bit, the team the Belkin has sponsored has been around since 1984 and this team has put out stars such as Levi Leipheimer, Denis Menchov, Erik Dekker, and Óscar Freire to name a few who have won everything from single day races like Milan San Remo to big multi-day stage races such as the Giro D’Italia. This is a program that produces winners. You may not recognize those names, but in places like Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain, these people are on par with hockey star Sidney Crosby and football star Peyton Manning. Many of them even have fan clubs with thousands of passionate fans following their every move on the bike.
Also, consider this fact: In Europe, cycling races are broadcast live on television for as much as seven hours a day. It is not uncommon for TV’s to be placed in workplaces so that workers can keep an eye on the proceedings. The net result is that millions of fans watch these races. That doesn’t include the fans at roadside who camp out sometimes in remote locations such as Alpe D’Huez as much as a week in advance to see their favorite cyclists pass by. So the net result is that Belkin products are introduced to a massive global audience. To me, this seems to be a good fit.
After the Tour De France expect to see the Belkin Pro in races not only in Europe, but in North America as well in races like the US Pro Cycling Challenge, The Tour of Alberta and two one day races in the province of Quebec. If you’re tech savvy and have an interest in cycling, I think you’ve found your team to cheer for.
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This entry was posted on July 19, 2013 at 11:22 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Belkin, Cycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Belkin Pro Cycling Team Hits The Road At The Tour De France
The month of July is a big one in Europe as the world’s most famous bike race is on the roads of France. The Tour De France covers 21 days, 2000 miles, mountains as high as 6000 feet above sea level to crown a winner. So when the race started on the island of Corsica, more than a few heads were turned when a “new” team hit the start line. The Beklin Pro Cycling team showed up with the threat of several riders capable of winning the race including Dutchmen Robert Gesink who last year won the Tour Of California, Bauke Mollema and Laurens Ten Dam. As I type this, Mollema was in sixth place overall and Ten Dam was in tenth as the start of today’s action in the French Alps. With three days to go, there’s a good chance for them to finish strong.
So the question is, why would Belkin get involved in cycling? After all, they’re a tech company. For the answer to that, here’s what Chet Pipkin, Belkin’s founder and CEO had to say:
“Cycling relies on innovation to drive success and has a passionate, tech savvy fan base that follows the sport closely, which aligns really well with the Belkin brand. Associating our Belkin and Linksys brands with this successful, well-established pro cycling team enables us to introduce ourselves to millions of people around the world and interact with them.”
To expand on that a bit, the team the Belkin has sponsored has been around since 1984 and this team has put out stars such as Levi Leipheimer, Denis Menchov, Erik Dekker, and Óscar Freire to name a few who have won everything from single day races like Milan San Remo to big multi-day stage races such as the Giro D’Italia. This is a program that produces winners. You may not recognize those names, but in places like Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain, these people are on par with hockey star Sidney Crosby and football star Peyton Manning. Many of them even have fan clubs with thousands of passionate fans following their every move on the bike.
Also, consider this fact: In Europe, cycling races are broadcast live on television for as much as seven hours a day. It is not uncommon for TV’s to be placed in workplaces so that workers can keep an eye on the proceedings. The net result is that millions of fans watch these races. That doesn’t include the fans at roadside who camp out sometimes in remote locations such as Alpe D’Huez as much as a week in advance to see their favorite cyclists pass by. So the net result is that Belkin products are introduced to a massive global audience. To me, this seems to be a good fit.
After the Tour De France expect to see the Belkin Pro in races not only in Europe, but in North America as well in races like the US Pro Cycling Challenge, The Tour of Alberta and two one day races in the province of Quebec. If you’re tech savvy and have an interest in cycling, I think you’ve found your team to cheer for.
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This entry was posted on July 19, 2013 at 11:22 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Belkin, Cycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.