Garmin to sponsor Tour de France team

According to a KCStar article, Garmin, which is based in the Kansas City area, will sponsor the team formerly known as Team Slipstream--one of the major bicycling teams in the pro circuit, competing in major races like the Tour de France:

“It’s a significant investment for Garmin that we are convinced is an excellent use of our money,” Cassat said.

Slipstream’s strong anti-doping stance was key to Garmin’s decision to sponsor the team, Cassat said.

“Slipstream cyclists are setting the standard for success through integrity and sportsmanship,” he said.

Garmin will spend millions of dollars — the company declined to be more specific — for a multiyear deal to sponsor the team. While the squad will undoubtedly be referred to as Team Garmin by television announcers, its official name will be Garmin-Chipotle Presented by H30, representing its secondary sponsors.

In the past, cycling sponsorships have occasionally proved to be promotional windfalls. The U.S. Postal Service team, which later became the Discovery Channel team, reaped publicity bonanzas for their sponsors as team rider Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven straight times.

Cassat said Team Garmin would give the company a place to showcase its fitness products, among other benefits.

“We’re looking at the fitness segment as one with a lot of upside growth,” Cassat said.

The team will now be known as Team Garmin-Chipotle Presented by H30. See the team's press release for more info.

The team includes such well known cyclists as Will Frischkorn, David Millar, Danny Pate, Christian vande Velde, and David Zabriskie.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Dave Luecking puts in context--with several cycling teams announcing new major sponsors recently, it appears that the cycling world's work to clean up after the recent doping scandals is starting to pay off.

Now--will Slipstream/Garmin be appearing in the Tour of Missouri? And how about Garmin as one of the major sponsors of the ToM?

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