Some things are inevitable, and after 30 seconds of speaking to cycling industry icon Mike Sinyard and Renaissance man and business mogul Bob Stapleton, it was clear that a partnership between the two Californians was only a matter of timing. Sinyard has built his Specialized Empire on the passion he has to get more people out on their bikes, while Stapleton turned to the sport for much the same reasons after conquering the telecommunications industry.
“It’s huge, it’s huge,” were Sinyard’s first words when asked about the multi-year deal with Stapleton’s HTC-High Road team. “I’ve wanted to work with Bob Stapleton and his team for many years, and the fact that it is a US-based company and there are a number of US riders makes it all the better. I think what’s most important is that Bob and I share the same vision and ambition about what we want to do with these endeavors and inspiring people to get out on bikes.”
Stapleton is a relative newcomer to cycling, but has proven that his focused approach in business is something that transcends the boundary of sport. In just a few short years his efforts have yielded the most successful cycling team in the world. For him, Specialized was a perfect fit on many levels.
“I think we’ve been stalking or circling each other for about four or five years…[laughs] maybe longer,” he admitted as he pondered his many reasons. “For me, we want to do big things. Mike and I both have enough grey hair and experience to know that we have a chance to do something big in this sport.
“We want this to be a long-term franchise and a leadership program that others can benchmark against. They lock down the fact that we’ll have absolutely good products. We’re a good product development team ourselves; we have five dedicated resources on the team. We’ve done five bikes now with two other partners in the past, but what really set Specialized apart is their marketing resources and their marketing sophistication, and this iconic brand….a brand that other partners will value and want to associate with,” he explained.
It’s not only that. Stapleton looks to Sinyard as a staple of the world’s biggest technology corridor.
“They are the bike brand of Silicon Valley, and that’s directly relevant to our goal of building on our partners,” he continued. “It fits with HTC, with Google, with Skype, our own technology development orientation. That’s what I hope happens…that we align a bunch of strong partners with similar marketing objectives around a technology and lifestyle focused team. Have our team strategy and our marketing strategy all aligned.
It’s that sort of big picture view that the two share, and together will to try to become an integral part of moving the sport forward.
“Bob, as you know, is a very successful guy, and this isn’t something he’s doing to make money…this is doing something that he can give back and that’s what he wants as his legacy and that’s very inspiring to me,” added Synard. “That’s what I want with this brand [Specialized], to create a brand that goes on forever - to do great things, to get people into riding, and to inspire people. So, from that standpoint it’s a perfect connect.”
Both men are aware of the fact that execution is the key to success, and the beginning of their collaboration has already begun to show through in subtle ways.
“Innovate or Die is not only genius from a development standpoint, but it’s genius from a marketing standpoint,” Stapleton said. “That’s the sort of leadership we need in the team. We think along similar lines. We want to challenge convention and everything around the sport. We want to be known as innovators, as the aggressive team that’s always wanting to do things better, smarter and faster than the other guys. That is kind of what we do, and to have a partner that has the same basic MO is just perfect for us, and they’ve got the marketing savvy to help us elevate the team. That’s really a powerful combo.
“You can see our slogan now…we’ve got “Innovate and Win”! So we’ve kind of taken “Innovate or Die” and made it a little more positive. We’re not dying, we’re actually winning!” [laughs]
Winning is something that the HTC-High Road team has done more than anyone else for the past two seasons. Their excellence shows in both the men’s and women’s teams, and is something that was yet another draw for Specialized.
“Of course Mark Cavendish is off-the-hook, he’s fantastic,” Sinyard said of the HTC-High Road sprinter, but that was only part of the draw. “And what I would say at the same time is that what’s so impressive about the team is the team’s ability to bring in young riders and develop those riders.
“While Mark is off-the-hook, there are so many riders on the team – Tejay Van Garderen, Tony Martin…and also on the women’s side! Having a way to bring in that young talent and developing that talent is really what sustainability is all about for Specialized and what it’s all about for a race team,” he explained.
One of the most exciting aspects for Specialized is having a women’s team that rides at the top level of the sport. When asked about how the women fit into the company’s vision Sinyard said proudly: “It fits right there! We’ve been looking for that. The women’s side of the business is very important to us, so it’s perfect for us – we’re really excited…awesome!”
Innovation is what drives the Specialized brand and, for Stapleton, he sees this as the best opportunity his team has had to make significant progress on that front.
“We’ve had good partners and they’ve done a great job of working with us,” Stapleton said, but this was his next logical step. “I think with Specialized they’ve got so much experience…everything is done in shorthand. Our cycle times are now going to be really small.
“I think we’re just starting to get a flavor for what they can do from a marketing communications standpoint, and I already see the enthusiasm with potential partners on what this brand affiliation does. It really is one of the few brands in the sport that penetrates into the general public’s mind. People are familiar with Specialized…it means something and, for me, the extra bonus was that this is something that people have been exposed to and have a favorable view on.
“To get an in category partner that can do that is pretty remarkable. There are only a couple of them…maybe two or three on the planet that can do that. As a long-time entrepreneur that has seen success and failures, I can deeply appreciate what Sinyard’s done here. This is a hard business… this is no “walk in the park” business. I appreciate that every time I see him, and he’s still on fire to do things and you’ve just got to love that!”
Sinyard was frank when asked about the role working with a team like HTC-High Road has on their product development.
“It’s everything,” he said. “I started the company 38 years ago, and it really goes to the founding principle of the company – focus on the riders’ needs – whether it’s the men’s team or the women’s team, what do those riders need? That’s how we learn and grow, so that really goes to the core of our founding principle.”
HTC-High Road 2011 Specialized Tarmac