Official Partners for 2011 Amgen Tour of California Announced
RadioShack, Michelob ULTRA and SRAM Bring Unique Elements to America’s Biggest Cycling Race
Los Angeles, CA – RadioShack, Michelob ULTRA and SRAM have been announced as official partners for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, which kicks off in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday, May 15, and runs through Sunday, May 22. The sixth-annual race, which has become America’s biggest and most important annual cycling race, will feature world-class cyclists competing for eight days over nearly 800 miles of California’s most scenic highways and roadways in a format similar to the Tour de France.
Renewing its partnership with the Amgen Tour of California, RadioShack is the title sponsor of the race’s popular online ‘tour tracker,’ officially named “The Shack Tour Tracker.” Similar to previous years, the tracker allows fans to follow the race while giving them in-depth access and analyses to everything from the route to the competitors, including live video streams, daily results and standings, GPS tracking and interactive maps.
“Today’s mobile technology makes it so much easier for fans to participate in the excitement of the sport, whether you’re eagerly waiting roadside for the peloton to pass, watching the televised broadcast on Versus, or tracking progress from your mobile handset. Our hope is that The Shack Tour Tracker invites new fans to engage with the sport for the first time, and enables long-time fans to experience the speed and energy of the sport at a whole new level,” says Lee Applbaum, chief marketing officer for Fort Worth-based RadioShack Corp.
For those looking to keep up with the race while on the go, The Shack Tour Tracker is available for Android, iPhone and iPad users via a mobile app that lets fans stay connected to the action with up-to-the-minute updates, along with other components similar to the web program. The app is available for download for iPhone and Android users for $0.99. The iPad app is available for $3.99.
Additionally, RadioShack will have a presence at the official Lifestyle Festival where they will televise the one-hour recap broadcast from the previous race day and highlight The Shack Tour Tracker.
In addition to being the presenting sponsor for Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour of California, which runs from South Lake Tahoe to North Lake Tahoe on Sunday, May 15, Michelob ULTRA will also be the official beer sponsor of the event. Michelob ULTRA will have a hospitality tent at a majority of finish stages for the race, as well as host the Michelob ULTRA Entertainment Stage in finish cities where local bands will perform. Rounding out its sponsorship, Michelob ULTRA also comes on board as the title sponsor of the AEG Hospitality Tent, which will be called the Michelob ULTRA VIP Lounge.
For a second year, SRAM returns as the official Technical Support Partner of the 2011 Amgen Tour of California to provide world-class, Neutral Race Support (NRS) to the race’s 18 professional teams campaigning the eight stages of this year's race course.
Fueled by official program partners Zipp (wheels), Specialized (bicycle frames and tires) and Speedplay (Pedals), the SRAM NRS technicians will shadow the peloton’s every breakaway, leap or chase. SRAM NRS professionally operated and equipped race cars and motorcycles will ensure that racing action flows unimpeded by mechanical delays.
"The Amgen Tour of California is cycling's Super Bowl here in America. We're prepared with staff and equipment designed to perform to that standard," said program director and 25-year NRS veteran Butch Balzano.
In addition to its NRS investment, SRAM is also proud to highlight the innovative and competitive nature of the bicycling industry as sponsor of the Amgen Tour of California SRAM Manufacturers Challenge. The 'Challenge’ is a stage-by-stage race within the race that pits technical equipment manufacturers against one another. The group set, frame, wheel and pedal technologies each team races on gathers points based on daily results throughout the race. The 2011 overall victor in each category will be announced at the conclusion of the race.
"We helped build out the concept of the 'Challenge’ with Andrew Messick and his team, and were instantly hooked by how it played out each day during last year's race,” said Alex Wassmann, SRAM partnership representative. “After all, the drama of bike racing is also about the equipment choices each team and athlete makes to get them to the finish line."
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