Threshold Retains Schupp to Build Cycling Properties
PHILADELPHIA (August 16, 2004) – Threshold Sports LLC, owners of the Pro Cycling Tour (PCT) and producers of the nation’s top cycling events, announced today that St Louis-based Schupp Company will become its agency of record to help market the PCT and Threshold’s other cycling properties. Threshold currently manages PCT events including the Wachovia Cycling Series in Philadelphia, the BMC Software New York City Championship and the T-Mobile International, presented by BMC Software in San Francisco.
The Threshold/Schupp relationship will initially focus on building the Pro Cycling Tour into the sport’s equivalent of NASCAR or the PGA Tour, recognized brands that define their sports. Schupp will help attract new sponsors to existing PCT events as well as assist in developing new races in targeted expansion cities like Chicago, Boston, Denver and others. A major Tour de France style stage race in the U.S. is also in the planning stages along with a post Tour de France PCT Triple Crown series.
Mark Gorski, Schupp executive vice president, will manage the Threshold account. Gorski was an Olympic cycling gold medallist in 1984 and served for nine years as the CEO of Tailwind Sports, the company that owns and manages Lance Armstrong’s United States Postal Service cycling team. While at Tailwind (1995-2003), Gorski developed and negotiated over $50 Million in sponsorship fees with companies such as the U.S. Postal Service, T-Mobile, Berry Group, Yahoo!, Nike, Coca-Cola, Subaru of America, Trek Bicycle Corp., Clif Bar and many others.
'We are extremely pleased to be associated with Mark Gorski and an award-winning, full-service advertising, marketing and promotions agency,' said David Chauner, president & CEO of Threshold Sports. 'Schupp’s creative talent and brand building experience coupled with Gorski’s knowledge of professional cycling and our long time relationship with him will help us leverage the current interest in the sport and enable us to bring the Pro Cycling Tour to many new sponsors and advertisers.'
Gorski and Chauner have known each other for over twenty years. In 2000, they created a partnership between Tailwind and Threshold to develop and manage the San Francisco Grand Prix (Now the T-Mobile International, presented by BMC Software), a professional cycling road race featuring Lance Armstrong that attracts over 500,000 spectators and has become one of the world’s top cycling events.
'Personally and on behalf of the Schupp Company, I am thrilled to be working with Threshold Sports to help them market their business,' said Gorski. 'They are by far the most experienced and professional cycling event management company in North America with huge growth potential, particularly at a time when cycling’s popularity has never been higher.' According to Gorski, recent Schupp research indicates that the sport has strong demographics, broad public appeal and has experienced a fourfold increase in the last ten years, due in large part to Lance Armstrong’s recovery from cancer and six consecutive Tour de France wins.
Contacts:
Steve Griffith (484-433-7757, stgrf@aol.com)& Katie Centrella
Communications
Threshold Sports LLC
610.676.0390 x104
610.676.0391 fax
www.procyclingtour.com
The Threshold/Schupp relationship will initially focus on building the Pro Cycling Tour into the sport’s equivalent of NASCAR or the PGA Tour, recognized brands that define their sports. Schupp will help attract new sponsors to existing PCT events as well as assist in developing new races in targeted expansion cities like Chicago, Boston, Denver and others. A major Tour de France style stage race in the U.S. is also in the planning stages along with a post Tour de France PCT Triple Crown series.
Mark Gorski, Schupp executive vice president, will manage the Threshold account. Gorski was an Olympic cycling gold medallist in 1984 and served for nine years as the CEO of Tailwind Sports, the company that owns and manages Lance Armstrong’s United States Postal Service cycling team. While at Tailwind (1995-2003), Gorski developed and negotiated over $50 Million in sponsorship fees with companies such as the U.S. Postal Service, T-Mobile, Berry Group, Yahoo!, Nike, Coca-Cola, Subaru of America, Trek Bicycle Corp., Clif Bar and many others.
'We are extremely pleased to be associated with Mark Gorski and an award-winning, full-service advertising, marketing and promotions agency,' said David Chauner, president & CEO of Threshold Sports. 'Schupp’s creative talent and brand building experience coupled with Gorski’s knowledge of professional cycling and our long time relationship with him will help us leverage the current interest in the sport and enable us to bring the Pro Cycling Tour to many new sponsors and advertisers.'
Gorski and Chauner have known each other for over twenty years. In 2000, they created a partnership between Tailwind and Threshold to develop and manage the San Francisco Grand Prix (Now the T-Mobile International, presented by BMC Software), a professional cycling road race featuring Lance Armstrong that attracts over 500,000 spectators and has become one of the world’s top cycling events.
'Personally and on behalf of the Schupp Company, I am thrilled to be working with Threshold Sports to help them market their business,' said Gorski. 'They are by far the most experienced and professional cycling event management company in North America with huge growth potential, particularly at a time when cycling’s popularity has never been higher.' According to Gorski, recent Schupp research indicates that the sport has strong demographics, broad public appeal and has experienced a fourfold increase in the last ten years, due in large part to Lance Armstrong’s recovery from cancer and six consecutive Tour de France wins.
Contacts:
Steve Griffith (484-433-7757, stgrf@aol.com)& Katie Centrella
Communications
Threshold Sports LLC
610.676.0390 x104
610.676.0391 fax
www.procyclingtour.com