Good news came on Monday that High Road Sports, the former T-Mobile team, has signed Columbia Sportswear as title sponsor for its men’s and women’s teams through 2010.

Outside of the implications for cycling, what’s interesting to me about this deal is the shift in Columbia’s brand. Earlier this year, they dropped the agency that developed their long-running ad campaign featuring their everyman president, Tim Boyle, being tormented by his mother under harsh conditions to test their jackets. Now, with a major global sponsorship like High Road and a slew of other athletes and events, Columbia appears to be deemphasizing a playful, approachable tone in favor of high-end performance. The last year has been pretty rough for them, which might explain the new, more North Face-y look.

In any event, this is great news for High Road and it’s really encouraging that they and Riis Cycling were able to sign major deals this spring. Reports of cycling’s demise may once again have been exaggerated.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am and is filed under Advertising, Bike Racing, Sports Business.