ASPEN — If you watched the caravan drive by during any of the seven stages of the USA Pro Challenge, you might have noticed one difference from years past: A lot more Lexus vehicles and no Nissans.
Nissan for the last three years has provided vehicles for staff, crew and some of the smaller teams of the Pro Challenge who otherwise don’t have their own team cars. But the company — at the behest of a new chief marketing officer — decided to pull its budget out of all endurance sports, including cycling and running (they were also a major sponsor at the Boston Marathon). Nissan had also sponsored the Tour of California, and its decision to pull back left that race without a vehicle provider this year.
“Nissan was a great partner the first three years of the race,” said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the Pro Challenge. “We were very fortunate to meet the leadership at Lexus. They very much believe in cycling and what we’re building here in Colorado at the USA Pro Challenge, so we created a new two-year partnership, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Lexus thinks it’s found an answer to reach a younger audience — both in age, but also in spirit — by sponsoring the Pro Challenge as the official vehicle provider for 2014 and 2015. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Beyond youth, the company will also find an audience, generally, with more disposable income: Many of the bikes professional cyclists ride are valued at well over $10,000, and serious recreational cyclists who also follow the pros are willing to drop that kind of money for a good bike.
One of the men behind the deal is Will Nicklas — the corporate manager of marketing, planning and communications for Lexus, who’s based in Los Angeles.
“We are really excited, and we also feel like itap a good value,” Nicklas said in an interview in Aspen. “I think itap a good value for the challenge, and itap a good value for the brand as we step into this initially.”
The automotive company is looking to get involved in more “spectator sports.” It’s already sponsoring golf with the USGA — the U.S. Open, women’s open and senior open. It’s also stepping into more participatory rides — think Ride the Rockies — where the primary point isn’t to watch professional riders, but give people a chance to ride as part of a large group. The Pro Challenge sponsorship is an experiment of sorts, and whether Lexus expanded into professional cycling more will likely hinge on how the next two years goes.
“I felt like there was a piece of our strategy that was missing, and that was really the spectator side of it,” Nicklas said. “On one of our trips to Aspen, just kinda asking around … and next thing I know, got a call from Sean, had some breakfast and it just sounded like it might be a really cool thing to give a shot at, and so far, I’m really pleased.”
