29-06-2009 22:55:38
High Road Sports, Inc., the owner of Team Columbia-Highroad and HTC Corporation, a designer of mobile phones, today announced a three-year sponsorship agreement that prominently places the HTC brand at the starting line of the 2009 Tour de France on July 4 in Monaco.
"High Road Sports is elated to be partnering with HTC, a recognized leader and growing global brand in mobile phones," said Bob Stapleton, Owner, Team Columbia-HTC. "Team Columbia-HTC is now sponsored by two leading companies in their related industries and we are ready to show the growing power of our partnership at this year's Tour de France," he added.
The team currently called Columbia-Highroad, and known in 2008 and 2009 as the team with the most victories in professional cycling, will compete as "Team Columbia-HTC" and will present the new team uniform in Monaco on July 3, the day before the start of the 96th Tour de France.
"The HTC High Road Sports partnership is a great match of like minded organizations driven by innovation, excellence and competitiveness and we are excited about the opportunity to communicate HTC's brand value through the great sport of cycling," said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. "HTC's sponsorship of Team Columbia-HTC is one step in HTC's commitment to increasing its global brand value and recognition."
Recognized in Business Week's 2009 InfoTech 100 as the 13th best-performing tech company in the world, HTC focuses on putting people at the centre by making their phones work in a more simple and natural way. This drives HTC's choice of partners, product creations and platforms. HTC's global team of designers, researchers and engineers quietly listen and observe people with their phones and in life so they can better understand and anticipate people's needs to create a more personalized experience. This is central to HTC's culture, spanning across its more than 9,000 employees worldwide.
The three-year sponsorship agreement runs through 2011 and includes both the men's and women's professional cycling teams, which are top ranked worldwide and have won over 80 races combined in 2009 - the most wins of any competing team.
About HTC
HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry and continues to pioneer industry-leading mobile experiences through design, usability and innovation that is sparked by how the mobile phone can improve how people live and communicate. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.
About High Road Sports
High Road Sports, Inc., based in San Luis Obispo, California, operates elite-level professional men's and women's cycling teams that have won more victories than any other teams in the 2008 and 2009. High Road's athletes include 36 men and women, and staff members from 20 different nations making it the most international team in the sport.
High Road is founded on the principles of clean and fair sport, and focuses on developing young athletes under veteran leadership and an experienced management team. The team is a leader in best methods and practices, technology development, and self-improvement. To learn more about Team Columbia-HTC please visit the team's web site at www.highroadsports.com.
