Originally published July 17, 2009 in the Portland Oregonian.

COLMAR, France — Not much about NASCAR racing and professional cycling seem comparable. Perhaps the lone similarity is the biggest financial factor of each sport — sponsors.

The cars and drivers in NASCAR are high-speed billboards. Cyclists at the highest level of the sport who pedal for weeks in events like the Tour de France are also moveable marketing campaigns.

The 20 teams participating in Tour de France this year are sponsored by telecommunication conglomerates to bicycle manufacturers, French mobile phone makers to an Italian natural gas distributor.

Columbia-HTC has cyclists from numerous countries, including one American, 12-time Tour de France finisher George Hincapie of Greenville, S.C. But its one of two U.S.-registered squads competing. Its sponsorship is the unique mix of the Portland-based company Columbia Sportswear and High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC), a Taiwan-based portable device manufacturer.

Like it is with every team, anyone attending the Tour de France representing Columbia-HTC — riders to mechanics, sports directors to visiting VIPs — wears its sponsor-emblazoned apparel. Likewise, the team bus and cars feature the same logo.

Team sponsors in cycling have varying tenures. Rabobank, the global bank based in the Netherlands, has had a team in the Tour de France for 14 years. Cofidis and Francaise des Jeux, respectively, the French financial company and national lottery, are both sponsoring teams in the race for the 13th time.

Columbia-HTC is in its second Tour de France participation. But for the second straight year, its second sponsor changed just before for the race.

Originally called Team High Road, the name of owner Bob Stapleton's company (the team didn't secure a commercial sponsor), it became Team Columbia-High Road just prior to the 2008 Tour de France when the manufacturer began its three-year contract. Less than a week prior to this year's race, the team's name changed to its current name with HTC also signing a three-year sponsorship agreement.

Stapleton, the team's owner and manager, is the former owner of the telecommunications company VoiceStream Wireless. It was purchased in 2000 by Deutsche Telekom, the team's former embatt
led sponsor.

For the team's riders, it makes little difference who's sponsoring the squad. Riders for the Italy team Liquiqas race promoting natural gas. Riders for the German team Milram pedal while promoting milk. Cyclists competing for Quick Step are racing while advertising flooring products.

Teams in the Tour de France all have varying multi-million dollar budgets depending on the size of their respective rosters and auxiliary staffs, physicians to publicists.

“We're a competitive team,” said Stapleton who's finalizing sponsorships while other teams' sponsors are leaving the sport. “If you're not competitive, you're just not relevant in the sport.”

“But we are also a competent team. We make sure our riders follow the proper conduct of the sport and we doing our external (drug) testing, and our code of conduct is very clear.”

Stapleton estimates the team generated 50 million Euros (estimated $70 million) in direct advertising exposure last year.

Tony Martin, the young German pro, is eighth in the overall standings as Columbia-HTC's current top-ranked Tour de Franc rider. He's one minute behind race leader Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy enterin the 14th stage. But while Martin has been a surprise, he's not the team's rider providing the squad with the most exposure.

Mark Cavendish is the team's best marketing tool. He's 135th in the standings, but as the top sprinter in the world, he's won four Tour de France stages and now has eight victories in the race in his two years with the team. He'll be favored again in Saturday's stage 14 from Colmar to Besacon, the race's sixth sprinters' stage.

Every time Cavendish crosses the finish in a blur, his sponsored-ladened jersey gets exposure on international television broadcasts, web site and print text and in images dispatched globally. Cavendish has 17 wins this season and age 25 has become savvy to the ways of global marketing.

Following his first Tour de France win this year in stage 2, Cavendish said: “My Columbia-HTC teammates were perfect. It's important for this team and its sponsors.”

Columbia Sportswear representatives are expected to join the race Sunday for the end of stage 15 in Verbier, Switzerland. Although Martin and Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg, who finished seventh overall in the Tour de France last year, are good climbers, it's unlikely they'll vie for a mountaintop victory.

Nonetheless, riders usually know when the team VIPs are visiting races. As such, it's likely some Columbia-HTC riders early the 207-kilometer (128.6-mile) stage will go to the front of the field. And Kirchen or Martin may have late stage stretches at the front, too.

The phenomenon is known as “sponsor time,” a term needing little explanation in a port relying on the financial backing of banks, tool manufacturers and a Portland outdoor apparel company.